Salvation in the Darkness
by MidoriEyes
Summary: Shuichi Shindou is poor along with his sister and mother in the city of Arbaphem. Taxes, the upper class, and the monarchy seem to be tearing their family apart, until a blonde traveller comes along and him and Shuichi fall in love. But a few months lat
1. The Shilling

Destiny means you have a set future, it usually signifies that a meaningful and important role lies ahead of you. Fate also means you have a set future, but it only gives you the option of having _one_ future. At the time, Shuichi Shindou didn't know which role would be his demise or his salvation. He didn't know that, many years later, one of these futures would help him bring peace to the sudden collapse of society by a darkness beyond all comprehension. After all, he was just a 19 year old boy living in a rundown old shack on the outskirts of town. What great role could he possibly play in the situation he was in?

Shuichi shared the cottage with his mother and little sister. One solitary word could describe their lifestyle… poor. The Shindou's were at the VERY bottom of their class. They were almost under the line that formed the "peasants" category. The Monarchy was the one that reigned it's unmerciful wrath and unjust laws upon the people of the land. Being the epitome of poor was NOT a good thing when it came, especially, to those troubling taxes. The wealthier people, like dukes, duchesses and land owners, didn't have a problem with whatever the King issued out… they had money. But as for the poorer people in town, money was a big deal in the city of Arbaphem. Taxes would be taken up every week of every month of every year, and they didn't get any lower, that's for sure. If you didn't have enough money to pay for the taxes, you would have to face the devastating consequence of losing a loved one. Of course, this certain law did not permit the tax collector to take a person's life if the debt couldn't be fulfilled, but it did allow him to take any member of the family and have them work as a slave in the King's service. The only way you could get your family member back was to start making enough money with the little members you have now and either start paying your taxes, or bail them out with your earns. So, as you can see, being a poor, helpless, scum-of-the-town family wasn't the best thing in the world at the time. Even so, the Shindou's still strived on, determined to make something out of their lives. In doing so, they kept the family name of the Shindou's alive with the same old stubbornness that had been passed down by generations.

Shuichi was picking weeds out from their tiny front yard until his 16 year old, younger sister, Maiko, came running out of the woods in a happy frenzy.

"Brother! Brother! Look at what I found!" She shouted excitedly while holding up a shiny object in her hand, almost tripping over some rocks in the process.

Her older brother stopped in his oh so fun weed picking to wipe his forehead before confronting his sister. "What is it, Maiko? Your clothes are tattered! Mom isn't gonna like that." He warned her.

"This is oh so much more important than my tattered clothes, dear brother! Look at what I found near the creak we always visit after lunch!" She held up to her brother's face a circular, sliver trinket with a face of one of their deceased dukes carved into the middle of it. The 19 year old boy gasped at what he was staring at.

"Why, this… this is…!"

"Yeah! A shilling! I just happened to come upon it when I went cherry picking for mom! She won't have time to worry about the dirty clothes I'm wearing once she sees this!" She grinned widely.

"Maiko! Where exactly did you find this!" Shuichi took the rusted object from her hands and examined it to be sure it wasn't fickle.

"Right next to the cherry tree while I was picking! I saw it lying underneath a bundle of them! Hah! And they say cherry trees can only bring you love… it can bring you wealth too!" She giggled.

"We've gotta show this to mom. She'll turn head over heals!" He took off his gloves and started making his way into the cottage.

"Wait for me! I wanna see her face when we show it to her!" Maiko followed close behind her older brother, proud of the valuable treasure she had discovered.

Mrs. Shindou had it rough. She was a hard working mother of two jobs; one being taking care of her children, and another job of making and selling herbs. She also made a few cherry pies for the market, which was the biggest pay they could muster (though she's been running out of dough lately). Many peasants knew her as the sweetest and most hardheaded woman alive in their city. Few women could do two jobs and raise a family at the same time. What Mrs. Shindou really wanted to do though, was become a nurse and help all of the people of Arbaphem. That way, at the same time, she could save up her money and send her only two kids off for an education. Of course, the cost for taking that job was much too expensive, so she would just have to settle for being a medicine woman. She wept every night for their poorness, wishing there was some way they could get easy money, and _soon_ before the tax collector came. The mother couldn't bare to lose another member of the family.

Just as Mrs. Shindou was cutting up leaks for her scarce stew she was cooking, her two loving children came bounding into the cottage. Startled, she dropped the wooden ladle in her hand.

"Goodness children! Don't scare me like that! Now the ladle is dirty."

"Don't worry about your old ladle mom! Look what Maiko found in the woods today!" Her son cheered gaily.

"My, my, what is it?" She asked, picking up the ladle she dropped.

"Look, mother!" Maiko smiled, holding up the one shilling with pride.

Once the shiny trinket was in view of the mother's eyes, she (once again) dropped the wooden utensil on the rock floor. "Wh-where did you get this!" She stuttered out.

"Like onee-chan said, I found it in the forest!"

"B-but how did you come across it!"

"Near the creak we get water from. You know, under the cherry tree."

"I can't believe this… a whole shilling!" Her mouth widened into a smile.

"Isn't it great mom? Now you can buy a new ladle!" Shuichi playfully suggested.

"Hah!" Mrs. Shindou laughed. "You're joshing Shu. We're saving this so we can pay off some of that tax we owe." She took the money and stashed it away in her empty honey jar on the shelf where her spices were.

"Let's go look for more shillings near that spot! Maybe someone dropped a whole bunch of them there!" Shuichi clasped his hands together hopefully. He knew how hard their mother worked and saw the hidden tears she shed at night, and finally… they found something to make her happy for once. After what happened a few months ago, he didn't think their mom could hold out much longer.

"Can we, mom? Can we?" Maiko burst out with excitement. She wanted to find as much money near that tree as she could. It was almost like a egg hunt to her.

"Maybe tomorrow kids. It's getting late, and I don't want you to be out there when it's dark."

"Aw, but mom! Nothing'll happen! It'll only take a few minutes!"

"No. You know as well as I do that there are wolves in the woods at dusk! What would I do if one of them were to snatch you away?" She raised an eyebrow.

"It'd probably be a lot easier on you to have one of us out of your way." Shuichi said

almost truthfully.

"Nonsense! Now you both listen to me." Mrs. Shindou got down on one knee, facing both her children. "I wouldn't want to lose any of you for the world. Do you know how devastated I'd be if something happened to you two? I don't think I'd be able to carry on." She looked up at them sorrowfully, paused, and added, "I don't want to lose another one of us again. So please, stay with me kids." The honesty in her eyes seemed so sad that Shuichi and Maiko wanted to cry at that moment, but held back.

"Don't worry mom. We won't disappear. We'll always stay with you, no matter what." Shuichi smiled, wanting to cheer his mother up quickly.

"Yeah. You'll always have us around to be with." Maiko winked.

"Thanks you two. I love you both." She hugged them tightly, as though she were sending them off to finishing school.

"We love you too, mom." Maiko hugged back affectionately, while Shuichi did the same, but with a troubled look in his eyes. How did life end up like this for them? Why did taxes have to be so high? Why was their King so unfair? Why did he have to lose someone at the cost of such disgusting luxuries? He wished that all the pain and suffering was the one that disappeared a few months ago, and not their dad.

"And don't think I didn't notice your dirty clothes, Maiko Shindou. You won't have desert tonight if you don't clean yourself up, young lady."

"Aw, mom!"


	2. The Golden Traveller

Arbaphem was a busy town, with people bustling around in their every day lives trying to get to their every day job. Carriages pulled by strong, lean horses were working all day and all night, hauling lords and land owners, the middle class and upper class, through the large city's veining roads. It was like one big heart, pumping with people in and out each morning and evening, and the King was the artery vein. The place was so full of life, that it was quite too much to handle sometimes. One such man found it almost unbearable as he made his way down the cobble stone streets.

The city people stared and stole glances at the foreign intruder with utter curiosity and suspicion. No one was used to change around these parts, especially when some guy shows up with bright golden hair. The man rolled his eyes at the looks everyone was giving him and snorted at the whispering comments he heard from groups not too far away.

"Who is that?" A peasant woman asked.

"I don't know, but he looks a bit strange to me." One man answered.

"If you ask me, he seems like one of those Americans I keep hearing about nowadays." A old duchess snarled her lip haughtily, only angry because this man had attracted so much attention.

"What if he's a spy? Is he going to corrupt us!" A frantic older man exclaimed quite loudly, though the traveller ignored it as best he could.

'Sheesh! What kind of manners did these people grow up with? I can't take their senseless babbling anymore!' The foreigner thought as he strolled nonchalantly down the lane. Had they never seen a man with blonde hair before? He assumed not.

This particular man was headed for the outskirts of town where the countryside was. Since he worked as a travelling author, he always needed peace and tranquillity to write his stories. They were romance novels, and the blonde was famous for them in America, though the people here obviously didn't know that. By the way everyone was spreading rumors about his arrival, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to find an inn to stay at that night. Either way, he needed to get out of this crowded city, and fast! A major headache was already forming on his brow.

As the "well-known" author walked through the market place, it became tighter as the roads got smaller, causing a young man to bump into him and knock all the books he had onto the ground.

"Ah, great." The foreigner muttered and began picking them all up.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't watch where I was going!" The other man helped him gather his belongings.

"Watch where you're going next time kid." He growled carelessly, and strutted away once all his stuff was well kept in his hands again. As he turned a corner, the traveller thought, 'Was that guy carrying a bunny?'

Look! It's Yuki smoking!

Alongside the entrance of the city was a streak of large mansions lined up along the streets, all belonging to the richest dukes, land owners, and lords. The first one was the grandest of them all, having been made of white marble and jade, with cement statues and fountains in the front driveway. A polished black carriage pulled up into that enormous driveway with one of the most powerful people in Arbaphem city besides the King. Tohma Seguchi was a wealthy landowner who owned the largest trading post in the English world. His business brought him to the top rank of the caste system right underneath the Monarchy. His wife, Mika Seguchi, was also part of his foundation, and both were equally feared. As the two stepped out of their cart, people stopped to stare at the pair, their clothes and air about them almost gushing "wealth". Tax collectors especially liked them because the Seguchi's always gave such generous offerings of money toward their King. If fact, they could pay off the whole city's debt if they wanted, though the thought never did cross their mind. Loved, admired, and loathed at the same time, the Seguchi family was a one of a kind sight to see around the town.

Once the carriage drove away, a leaping ball of energy came hopping toward the sun blonde man, almost knocking him to the pebble driveway. 

"Tohma! I missed you!" The older man yelled gleefully while latching onto the landowner's neck playfully.

"Ryuichi-san! I'm not surprised to see you here." He smiled.

"Don't forget Mr. Kumagorou too!" He said, holding up the childhood rabbit up in the man's face.

Tohma chuckled. "Don't worry. I didn't. How are you today, Kuma-chan?"

Ryuichi nodded the bunny's head for him and hugged him softly. "Na! Where have you been, Tohma-chan?" Ryuichi stood up straight.

"I was working a deal with china for some more of its jade."

"How did things turn out with the pretty china dolls?" He made Kumagorou do a little dance.

"Quite fine, actually. We're trading some of our herbal medicines for many great slabs of jade. And what about your business, Ryuichi-san?"

"Me and Mr. Kumagorou are giving away lots of pretty land to lots of pretty people! I even put holes in the ground for some of the families so that Kumagorou's friends can come live with them!" He sparkled excitedly.

"Oh, uh... really..." Tohma sweat dropped. Those were gonna be some unhappy people later on... "So, uh anything new happen while I was away?"

"Nope!...well, except this one new guy came into town and everyone was staring at him... I think it was because his hair was so shiny and gold. He was kinda rude, but his head was still really pretty, na no da?" Ryuichi smiled and tilted his head cutely while squeezing the life out of Kumagorou.

"Hmmm, I see." Tohma rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe I should meet this new fellow, huh? I always do like to get acquainted with newcomers anyhow." He grinned again almost eerily this time.

"Yeah! Thoma-chan should meet the shiny guy! Their hairs are alike, except the shiny guy's head was more like a big, poofy sunflower! Kuma-chan likes sunflowers, ne Kuma-chan? They're so big and round and dizzy dizzy dizzy..." Ryuichi smiled and twirled the stuffed animal around like a ring-around-the-rosy game, practically hitting Thoma in the process.

"Ryuichi-san! Watch where you swing him!"

As this was all going on, Mika walked inside the mansion, deciding that today was not the day to hang around the ever hyper Ryuichi-san.

Elsewhere, the blonde novelist was at town square and decided to take a rest on a cement bench that was available. Many people still stared at him warily, but he had gotten to where he would ignore them completely. His feet were already killing him from many days walks, but no matter how far he travelled, the man couldn't find the inspiration he was looking for. A few weeks ago, an old merchant told him of a city with great things lying inside and beauty displayed in many hidden forms. Arbaphem. So far, the author only found noisy crowds, men with pink bunnies, and people with no manners. What was so fascinating about this place? He couldn't wait until he finally reached the quiet countryside filled with nothing but nature and...well, nature hopefully.

After a few minutes, the blonde noticed that a crowd was gathering around and certain area in the town square, like they were waiting for something. Having nothing else to do until later, he got up and headed over toward the mass of people near a wooden stage. Was there going to be an act? And puppet show? The curtains were drawn so nothing could be seen, which irritated the man because he hated being kept in suspense. As he got a bit closer to the front of the stage the novelist noticed some bowl hats and cans situated at the rim of the platform. He was about to ask someone what they were for, when an array of shimmering streamers came fluttering down from the top of the curtains support, covering the crowd in the substance. A catchy rhythm began with the sounds of a tambourine, piccolo, bongos, and violin. Soon the crimson curtain lit up and behind its confinement was a shadow that obviously suggested a woman's body was there. Many of the people "oooh"ed and "ahhh"ed at the marvel set before them, wondering what was behind that red cloth. Once the beat slowed and got louder, the curtain fell and out came dancing a lilac haired, violet-eyed gypsy clad in silky red parachute pants, a red tube top with sheer sleeves that fell on her shoulders, a red sheer cloth floating over her mouth, and little golden dancing shoes. The woman had a tambourine in her hand and was tapping it to the music. The crowd watched in awe at the display, some enticed, and some disgusted. The author's question of what the hats and cans were for was finally answered when he saw coins and pieces of food being thrown into them. It seemed that the gypsy was well practiced in the art of dancing and knew what she was doing. The blonde shook his head lightly when he saw drooling old men clawing up on stage after her, fortunately with no avail since there were guards holding them back. 

During the dance, the traveller found the girl on stage winking and blowing kisses at him from afar, which he found quite amusing in some way, but not interested. Near the end of the show, the maiden slinked down to the foreigner's eye level, inching slowly toward his face seductively, about to kiss him, when...

"What's going on here!" A young voice came shouting into the crowd. Everyone stopped watching and looked behind them to see who had interrupted the interpretive dance and gasped in shock. "What ruckus is being caused here that I can't even think straight!" The child with aqua hair stormed through the people toward the front of the stage and looked up into a pair of familiar eyes. "Ahh... Noriko Ukai. I should have know it was you who was poisoning these people's minds with your witchly dance."

"Oh my, it seems you found me... my dear, Fujisaki Suguru."

AN/Well! That's it for now! I'll write more tomorrow if I can. It'll get better soon. This whole beginning is just like a big prologue right now. The REAL plot will soon fall into place once I introduce all the characters. Then we'll get to see more of Shuichi, kay? The reason I started this fan-fic was because I had dream about this certain plot and HAD to write it down, na no da? Of course I had to add a few things since it was a bit choppy in my dream, but it's going great so far! PLEASE REVIEW. Thank you! --  
Oh Yeah! I'm gonna be gone this weekend for a wedding so I won't be able to update until Sunday. So I'll finish ch. 3 by then!


	3. Showdown in Town Square

AN/ Hey! I'm back everyone! I have finished the third chapter as you can see, and am starting the fourth. And don't worry. I'll try not to be someone who leaves ya hanging on a fanfic and never continue it again. I hate it when people do that… especially if they have a really good plot going. In this chapter, Suguru and Noriko blow off some steam at each other, so get ready! I'll have to make Shu and Yuki fall in love pretty quick, because I gotta get on to the real plot of the story soon. Here's a hint of the actual plot…. It has a lot to do with demons, darkness, and a "chosen one" type of thing. I'll give ya three guesses who the "chosen one" is. Anyway, let's get on to the story! Please review me! -

"Oh my, it seems you found me… my dear Fujisaki Suguru." The gypsy said, smirking.

"What scandal are you causing now, you wench?" The young man narrowed his eyes at her while she slowly swayed toward his direction.

"Scandal? Do you really think that lowly of me? I'm shocked." Her words dripped of sarcasm.

"I thought I told you to move out of the city. Why have you plagued us again with your vulgar dancing?" He folded his arms. The people watched on eagerly as the two bitter enemies barred their fangs at one another.

"Oh come now. Your making such a scene Fujisaki-kun. A little fun here and there never hurt. It _is_ what I do for a living, you know. How would I be able to get my pay if I left town?"

"Get a proper job."

"Ha! You mean like YOUR'S? Please! I'd die under the weight of a thousand boulders before I ever became a duchess! I mean look at yourself! Strutting around like you own half the city… you've become like an old man Suguru."

"What did you say to me!" A pulse threatened to pop on his forehead. The blonde traveler just yawned in boredom.

"If you want to be crushed by a thousand boulders, then I could arrange that for you very easily if you keep up this satanic shenanigan!" The aqua haired teen yelled into her face.

"Just TRY and catch me you filthy upper-class snob!" She was getting worked up herself. The crowd started cheering the duke and gypsy on, wanting to see some action after their petty little quarell. Once the fireworks were about to break out, a piercing gun shot echoed through the street, causing everyone to flinch in surprise. Each head hesitantly turned around to find the Captain of the Guards holding his gun up in the air, a stream of smoke emitting from the long sliver barrel.

"Ha ha ha!" The long haired man laughed hardily. "I should have known it was you two causing all the commotion. What a pair!" He smiled cheekily.

"Mr. Winchester! What's the meaning of this!" Suguru stomped his foot.

"Just calming down the local ruckus. I'm not surprised to see you here in the middle of it either. Always has to be the center of attention, don't you Mr. Fujisaki?"

"What! I-!"

"Now, now. Don't get all worked up, little one. I'm only kidding ya."

"Hmph!" The boy grunted, humiliated by the captain's words. While the whole city respected the Captain of the Guards, no one was too fond of his obnoxious accent and personality. But he did keep Arbaphem safe, so everyone could rest at ease, knowing that they'd be protected at night as long as Claude Winchester was around… well… they felt _somewhat_ safe… if you know what I mean…

The trigger happy blonde cleared out the town square, telling the people to move on their way while the gypsy and her crew packed up their stuff and the money they gathered from the performance. The author stayed near the spot where the stage was and listened to what the gunman and duke were talking about.

"There. It's all peace again. Might not want to start something up like that again. It could cause a riot." He told the young duke, still smiling.

"But I'm not the one who started it! That vile gypsy shouldn't be anywhere near this part of the city! I ran her out months ago!" His face was turning a raging cherry red.

"Whoa! Calm down there, 'Mr.Duke'. I'm sure she's gotten the picture by now. Right ma'am?"

"Whatever. I don't associate with men like him. But if it'll close a lid on his erupting little head, I'll move to a different part of the town… maybe in the suburbs."

"There! Ya see? She cooperated just fine. Violence shouldn't be the answer Mr. Fujisaki."

"But I wasn't…I… grrr! It's not my fault!" He stormed off out of town square, enraged at the treatment he was receiving. The crowd parted like the Red Sea once the flaming Fujisaki came barreling through.

"See what I mean? He's so hot headed." The gypsy, Noriko, said while wrapping a cloak around her scarcely clothed body.

"You sound like you know him personally (God forbid…)."

"I do… unfortunately. We used to be old friends until the caste system separated the boys from the men… or women. I don't know where he got the attitude, but it does get a little annoying."

"I couldn't agree more, but it wouldn't hurt for you to not to cause trouble anymore, now would it? Why not be friends again. I'm sure you could work out all of your differences if you did."

"Your just saying that so it'll be more convenient for you and your job."

"Yeah… but hey! Look on the bright side. You've definitely got a more exciting life style than _him_."

"True." She checked over her shoulder to see if her crew had packed up the setting. "Well, better be on my way. I can still shake my money cans and here the rattling inside them."

"Good luck. And, if I were you, I wouldn't let Mr. Hothead see you around here anymore. Next time, he might really pull the plug on your little show."

"Don't worry. I'll be in disguise." Noriko winked and swung her hips toward the blonde novelist, about to walk away like the rest of the crowd.

"Hey. Thanks for coming to my performance. I always enjoy a variety of people." She came up millimeters away from his front.

"Yeah. Too bad it was interrupted by that duke guy. I really wanted to see the rest of your interpretive dance."

"Well, well. A critic, are we? Alright. I know when I've been insulted. See ya around stranger." She kissed the emotionless man on his left cheek and hopped into the gypsy cart along with her crew. Once they rode off, the captain came over and chuckled a bit.

"She's quite a handful, isn't she? She'll get herself into real trouble one day." He said, smiling all the while.

"…Whatever." The traveler left town square and decided to head in the direction of the gypsy. Since he wanted to head toward the outskirts of the city as well, her trail would lead him in the right direction anyway.

:-:X:-:

For the Shindou family's dinner, there was stew, bread, and grape juice. And in their terms, the stew is actually lightly flavored water, bread is very dry dough, and grape juice is just water. But it kept them alive, so there wasn't anything to complain much about _yet_. The conversation at their hand-made wooden table was about the shilling hunt they would have the next morning and about how much they might find. Mrs. Shindou stated a reasonable amount, Maiko might've had her hopes a little high, and Shuichi was just concerned about finding any at all. While they were debating, a knock sounded at the front door.

"Who would be here so late at night?" The mother peered over at the entrance.

"I'll get it." Her son stood, headed to the other room, and answered the knock to find his one and only best friend… "Hiro! What are you doing here?"

Hiroshi Nakano was a very studious man brought up with class and manners even if he wasn't the richest guy in town. His friendly and outgoing attitude tied him all together to make the perfect buddy, especially for a lonely guy like Shuichi. The teen worked part time at a local library closest to the outskirts. He received fair pay and lent out books to Shuichi for free since the Shindou's could hardly manage to buy any novels in the first place. Though he wasn't as poor as them, he had a kind heart and good logical advice whenever you need it. Being a librarian was only part of the reason he was so smart. Usually, the red head would lend some money to his best friend, but even _his_ income was getting low, so it was becoming near to impossible anymore. Hiro tried to get a job for the 19 year old at the library with him, but it turned out that there were no more positions available at the moment. But, in spite of that small problem, he still struggled to get a decent paying occupation for his friend.

"Hey Shuichi. I'm here to get that book you borrowed from our library a week ago."

"Oh yeah! Hang on, let me go grab it." The pink haired boy ran to his room, and came back in a flash with the book in hand. "Here ya go! It was SOOO good!" He squealed.

"You like it? Good. I thought you would." He smiled.

"The plot was so well thought out! And the characters were so awesome. And remember when that guy came along and seemed friendly, but was actually a spy, but he and that girl fell in love, but then in the end he died, and she…. It was really sad!" He had tears at the corners of his eyes.

"Yeah. I remember. This guy has a few works out so far. And people are just eating them up one by one. He's really popular in America right now, and I heard he's traveling here for some inspirational searching."

"Really! Cool!" Puppy Shu hopped up and down ecstatically.

"Who knows? Maybe you'll meet him sometime when he comes into our city."

"Here? Naw. He probably wouldn't come to the suburbs of the city. There isn't anything to do here."

"Well, ya never know… hey. How's your mom doing?" He said in an almost inaudible voice so the two women in the other room wouldn't hear him.

"Mom? Oh… she's gotten better I think. Maiko found a shilling in the forest today, so that cheered her up a bit I think. Though I don't think she's gotten over the loss yet."

"That's too bad. I'm sorry that happened."

"We had it coming. Don't worry about us."

"Okay. Hey, man. If you need anything, just let me know. I'm always just a few miles away."

"Thanks. But I things are starting to look up for us Hiro. I hope…"

"Yeah. I hope so too." He stated softly. After an awkward moment of silence, the librarian spoke up again. "Anyway, I better go. You guys are still having dinner. Say hi to Mrs. Shindou and Maiko-chan for me."

"I will. See ya around Hiro!" Shu waved.

The red head waved back silently, and made his way down the road toward the city.

"Who was that dear?" The mother asked as Shuichi sat back down at the table again.

"It was just Hiro. I had lent something from him and he came back for it."

The rest of the evening was followed by a light conversation and preparations for bed. It had been an overwhelming day for all of them, and a peaceful night's rest is just what they needed for their fatigue.

AN/ Okay! Since I have to make these next chapters quick, I'm gonna introduce some of the other characters later into the real plot and you'll see what roles they have. EVERYONE is going to be in this fanfic, so you'll have a variety of twists and turns. I'm still debating whether to have Hiro and Ayaka to get together. To be honest, I really DO NOT like Ayaka. She slapped Shuichi in the series and is just a plain… well, you fill in the blank. So maybe yall can help me decide if I should do that or not. Of course you don't know what role she plays yet so it may be a bit difficult for you to decide…. Maybe later then, huh? I'll update as soon as I can. Summer band is killing me on time though, so I don't promise to be quick on adding chapters, but I'll try to do it as often as possible! Thank you and please REVIEW! --


	4. Tax Time

AN/ This'll be a good chapter. Tee hee!

BANG BANG BANG!

The front door bellowed from the outside with much force. Shuichi was just about to head on to bed until the obnoxious sound resonated throughout their tiny home. Grumpily, he dragged his feet to the door and mumbled under his breath about 'who in the heck is it' and whatnot. Once he opened it, the boy's mouth dropped as he stuttered out…

"Ai-Aizawa-san! Wh-what are you…?"

"I've come to collect your pay, boy. And make it quick. My shift was over long ago until I picked up your family's record and saw that I hadn't collected your tax yet."

Ah, yes. The city of Arbaphem's "beloved" head tax collector. Taki Aizawa. He was absolutely detested among the poorer folk and some say that he even has a black hole for a heart. The man's words would stick to you like pins and needles in a sewing cushion; they caused fear whenever he presented himself at people's houses. Two guards were always attached to his hips if anyone tried to pull something on him. And it seemed that every time he visited, the tax rate would rise a few shillings or so (in other words… he cheats them out of more money so he can get the extra that was left over). Aizawa was truly a rotten man with no compassion for other people's lives or problems. Around the suburbs, he was known as "Aizawa the Demon". When he graced his presence upon the outskirts of town, the women would bring their children inside for safety. Some of the families actually interpreted that he might be a real demon. That's just how cruel and merciless he was…

"Well Shindou? Are you going to stand there gawking like a fool, or are you getting my money?" He raised a carnivorous eyebrow.

"Oh! Ummm… please wait a minute, sir." Shuichi trembled under his cold gaze and darted off to find the money they had saved for this certain visit. The 19 year old looked his dresser, up on his shelves, under his pillow, in his closet….nothing. "Kuso… where has that money gone to!" If he didn't give it to Aizawa soon, there would be big trouble for him and his family. And then, like a lightning bolt to water, it struck him. "That book. The money was inside of it." Poor Shuichi Shindou had absent mindedly forgotten to take out the paper money and shillings inside of the book he recently returned to Hiro. The boy had been substituting it as a bookmark and now it was at the local library, already checked out by who knows what, the money probably already gone. "SHIMATA!" He yelled unintentionally loud. 'What'll I do, what'll I do! Mom's gonna kill me! Gyaa, I've got bigger problems than that! If I tell Aizawa, he'll flip and take one of us instead… just like last time….' Shuichi droned off for a moment at the sad memory of his loving father being dragged away by the guards to the King's castle. That scene would be engraved in his mind forever, no matter how hard he tried to forget it.

"Hey! Shindou! I'm waiting! Where's the money!" The tax collector shouted into the house.

"Crap! He's gonna wake mom! And that's the last thing I need right now!" The boy rushes back to the entrance of their cottage, but before he could get there, Mrs. Shindou was already in front of Mr. Aizawa and asking…

"What's going on? Oh! Aizawa-san! What are you doing here so late at night?" She acted polite as possible, but her son knew that on the inside, she was shaking with shaking with fright.

"I've come to collect. And your son doesn't seem to be cooperating at the moment to my request. I would like to head home and SLEEP, ma'am. Will you tell him to hurry it along?" He spat at her harshly, which made Shuichi's blood boil.

"Huh? Oh, Shuichi dear. I didn't see you there. Have you got the money for him?" She asked with a tinge of worry in her voice.

The boy didn't know what to say or do. He was trapped. If he told them no, then they would most likely take someone away again. If he lied and said yes….. Well, looked like there was only one thing to do.

"N….." He had a tough time admitting it. "No. No, I don't. I l-lost it." He bowed his head in shame. His mother gasped, but Aizawa just stood there, emotionless as he ever was.

"I see." He scowled.

"Please! I beg you! Let me have time to recover it! I know where it is. If you just give me time to-"

"Time! I don't have time for you to make your mary way to wherever you obliviously left it and give it to me! It's either now or never. Which is it!"

"B-but, we have no more money!"

"Well then. It looks like we'll have to go through the same routine again. Just like a few months ago." He narrowed his eyes evilly.

"No, please. Not again! We'll do anything!" Mrs. Shindou pleaded with all of her being, getting on her knees in mercy.

"The only thing you will do is work in the King's service until that debt is paid off." Aizawa raised his fingers to snap for the guards to take action.

"Mmm…" Maiko rubbed her eyes and blinked groggily. "Mom? Shuichi? What's going on?" She asked, still drowsy from getting out of bed.

"Ahhh… the little Shindou girl. She'll do nicely. The King needs more females anyway. She could be of some "use" to him.

"Huh?" She realized who was at the door.

"No! Not Maiko!" The mother begged, standing up.

SNAP

The guards barged into the cottage, taking Maiko Shindou by the arms and pulling her outside onto the dirt path.

"Wha! No! Mommy! Brother!" She kicked and screamed with all her might.

"Please! Don't take my baby away!" She grabbed onto her daughter's night gown in a desperate attempt to stop them, but one of the men wrenched her hands away and slapped her to the ground. Shuichi's eyes burned with tears of fire as he lunged at the guards and tried to release his sister out of their grasp.

Dust covered the gypsy wagon's tracks as the young novelist made his way down the dirty path. It was too dark to see where the wheel prints were anymore, so he thought that he might as well find a nearby inn to stay at for the night. The shadow stained woods gave him a butterfly feeling in the pit of his stomach, which indicated that he was becoming inspired to write some more of his new book he was working on. Half-leaved branches stretched their limbs out far, arching overhead and creating splashes of moon shine on the road that looked like a shattered path of glass. The platinum moon was so bright that it would even make the brightest of stars jealous. As the man walked, he noticed that the naked ground had silhouettes carved into its surface, emitting from the sliver linen clouds above. Each stroke of light fell prey to the curves of every object that it caressed, sending delightful shivers down the author's spine. This was a perfect night for story writing, and soon he hoped to take advantage of Kami's given time to jot down more of his novel. There was an opening out of the tunnel of trees up ahead where he was most likely to see dozens upon dozens of stars. Eagerly, the blonde strolled out of the ghastly forest and entered a large clearing where a few small homes resided. He cringed at the atrocious way they were kept, but knew this was the poorer region of town, so he kept his pace steady and passed them by.

A little further down the pale dirt street, the author's ears pricked up as the sound of yelling and screaming came to his sensitive ears. It sounded like a fight, or a mother shouting at her child, so he decided to check it out since it was the thing that had interrupted his thoughts. But once he got to the source of the noise, he started to become wary of the fact that this was no ordinary fight. In the distance, two men were trying to carry off a young girl in front of a rundown shack while what looked like he mother and a… pink haired boy?… were struggling to free her from the two gentlemen's grasp. He heard the older woman yell…

"Please! Don't take my baby away!" He saw her snatch at the girl's dress, but was slapped away by one of the men. Suddenly, the young boy leaped at the girl's captors and started hitting them so they'd let go of her. Whatever this tussle was, the novelist knew it wasn't good. Instead of walking away (like he usually would) his good mood got to him, and he walked over casually to see if he could be of any assistance (hopefully he wouldn't have to get physical. He just had his outfit cleaned a few days ago).

"Let her go!" Shuichi yelled as he bit one of the guards hands, causing him to drop Maiko and shake out the pain. He then tried to snap at the next man, but was roughly backhanded away, leaving his sister attempting to rip her arm out of his hold.

"Stop it! Let go!" She screamed while wriggling away from the guard, but his death grip was much stronger.

Yet again, Shuichi grabbed hold of the other guard and clawed at his face. "Get away!" He flared.

"Ouch! Why you…"

"Take him to if he's troubling you!" Aizawa informed throughout the chaos.

"No! Don't!" Mrs. Shindou got up to reach for her now struggling son and daughter.

"Silence, wench!" One of the guards raised his hands to strike her again, but when it came down, another hand had grabbed it at the wrist and stopped it clear in its path. "What the-!" The man turned around to find demonic saffron eyes penetrating his own. Each golden orb seemed to be leaking out "danger". Still finding enough composure to have a firm grip on the girl, he asked bitterly, "And who are you!"

"No one you'd know." The blonde said stoically.

"What do you want?" Aizawa asked in a monotone voice.

"I happened to be taking a nightly stroll when this terrible ruckus came to my ears. I came over to see what it was about."

"This affair does not concern you. I suggest you leave."

"Why? Is this some kind of crime in the making? Because, if so, I could always tell the royal court what went on here…" He threatened.

"Ha! Fool. I AM part of the King's court. I'm a highly respected tax collector if you didn't know. I came here to collect this family's pay, and they give me nothing. Therefore I must take them to the King for judgment." He stated calmly. Maiko and Shuichi stared at the unknown stranger, gaining a spark of hope that they were going to get out of this.

"Is that all this struggle is about?" The foreigner asked in disbelief.

"Yes. Now, like I said, this does not concern you, so you might as well be on your way." He let out a small laugh and folded his arms. Just as the Shindou's thought all hope was lost, the stranger spoke up again.

"Oh. But this has everything to do with me. You see, I am a close relative to these people. I am a cousin to this mother's children." The group went wide-eyed at him. He was lying to the tax collector! A crime, that if you were caught for, would send you straight to jail.

"Oh really? Prove it. What is this family's name?" Aizawa asked smugly.

If it weren't for the name on the mail box, the blonde didn't think he could've gotten it. "The Shindou family."

"Okay. Then what's the girl's name?" The tax collector asked a little more brutally.

"Maiko Shindou." He knew because he heard the mother call her name during the fight.

"How about the boy's?"

"Shuichi Shindou." Same reason.

"Hn." Aizawa growled under his breath. "Alright then. So what if you're family. We're still taking them to the castle." He sneered.

Shuichi breathed in sharply. How would they find a way out of this situation. 'Aw man. This is all my fault… if I hadn't left that stupid money in that stupid book, we wouldn't be in this jam. What'll I do?' He mentally berated himself over and over again, until…

"I'll pay for them."

"What!" The boy looked up sharply and saw the honesty in the traveler's eyes. Was this total stranger actually going to pay their taxes!

"You'll what!" Aizawa snapped.

"I said… I'll. Pay. For. Them. Need I say it in another language?"

The tax collector skimmed the rule book in his head. Was there a policy against that?………no. Damn it! Now what?"

"I suggest…" The blonde strode over to the man. "…that you except this pay." He slapped down the right amount of money into the befuddled Aizawa's hand. "Now leave."

AN/ Wooo! It's getting really good, don't you think? Please REVIEW!


	5. The Shindou Family Lifestyle

AN/ Hi everyone! You have entered the fifth chapter of Salvation in the Darkness, which premieres the Shindou's meeting with Eiri Yuki! This chapter will be mainly about Yuki getting to know the Shindou family life style. I'll tell you what the next chapter will be about at the end of this one.

Yay! I've just downloaded episode 17 of Tsubasa Chronicle. I'm so happy! It's getting REALLY good so far, and I can only hope that the series will land in the Legal Drug world. That'd be so awsm! If you don't know what this anime is, it's about ALL of the Clamp characters from each Clamp series mixed into one big anime. I haven't seen Chi from Chobits yet, but I hope to! Though this is one of my favourite animes, my all time fav. Is GRAVITATION… of course. And one more thing. I may accidentally repeat some of the stuff I've said in other author notes, so please bare with me if that happens. I don't have much of a memory… ;

Inside the Shindou's home, all was peaceful again once Aizawa and his goons were out of the way. If it wasn't for the blonde stranger, their would have been another deduction from the family. After the tussle in their yard, Mrs. Shindou invited the traveller to their kitchen, where the four sat around the table silently (except for the constant praises of their mother toward the man).

"Thank you. Thank you so much for helping us out there. You don't know how much that meant to me. Ahem… children. Don't you have something to say too?"

"Thank you so much, sir! I'm very grateful that you came along!" Maiko stared all starry eyed up at him. "You're just like a knight in shining armor!" The girl clasped her hands together dreamily.

"Uh… yeah. You're welcome." The author scooted his chair away from the exuberant teen.

"Shuichi. What about you?" His mother addressed.

"Hm? Oh. Thank you for helping my sister." He bowed his head lightly.

"Whatever. I was just passing by when I heard some noise that was breaking my concentration. So I decided to put a stop to it. It's hard to think at night when you got people having a cat fight outside their front door." He retorted plainly.

Shuichi was disturbed by the rude comment, but couldn't deny that the man still saved them. So he kept his eyes from twitching just this once.

"Where have you come from, Mr…uh…" Mrs. Shindou felt embarrassed that she didn't properly introduce themselves yet.

"Yuki. Mr. Eiri Yuki. I'm from America."

"This is my daughter Maiko, my son Shuichi, and you may call me Mrs. Shindou."

"America! You came all the way from there!" Maiko's eyes popped out of her sockets.

"Yes."

"What made you come on such a long journey, Mr. Yuki?"

"I'm a travelling author. It seems that my writer's block was longer than I intended it to be while I was living in America, so I came here to see if I could find any inspiration that could release me from this troubling stump. So far, all I've found are intolerable upper class nit-wits and aggravating money misers." He snorted.

'A travelling author? Inspirational journey? Eiri Yuki?' The pink-haired boy thought about this for a moment. "Oh my gosh…"

"Hm? What?" The man glanced at the flabbergasted teenager.

"You… you must be…" Shuichi pointed.

"Uh-huh?" The blonde tapped his fingers in anticipation.

"…You must be… really tired after walking all the way here on foot!" Shuichi blinked.

"…."

"…."

"Umm… yeah. I am. But I came from America by boat." 'Doesn't this kid know about the over-sized puddle that separates America from his own country?'

"Oh…" Shuichi dropped his hand.

"But I am a bit tired now. You people wouldn't know where to find a close by inn to stay at would you?"

"Well, no." The mother answered. "We've never been to an inn with the little money we have… as you probably assumed when those tax collectors were here…"

"Ah. I see. Then I guess I'll be heading off on my own to look for one." Yuki said, feigning disappointment.

"But you can stay here if you like!" Mrs. Shindou quickly added in. "After all, you've done so much for us. Accept our offer as paying you back for what you did."

Bingo. "I don't know. You seem to have a lot of problems on your hands, and I don't want to disturb you…"

"Please stay as long as you like, Yuki-san." Maiko chimed in happily.

"Well, if you insist." A small victory sign flashed in his mind as he "humbly" accepted the Shindou's offer. 'At least I got a place to stay tonight. I feel like a race horse after a go around the track.' He thought wearily.

? ? ? ? ? 

That morning, Eiri Yuki woke up… in Shuichi Shindou's bed. (AN/ It's not what you think. Get yer minds out of the gutter people!). The 19 year old had been forced to sleep on the floor by his mother. Luckily they had one of the clean quilts laying out for him to rest on, though that didn't mean it would have eased his pain from the rock hard floor… because it didn't. The exhausted traveller hauled himself out of the not to comfortable bed and dragged his aching feet over to the bathroom. There he saw a solitary bucket of water for washing your face in.

'….How many people have used this same bucket of water? Oh well. I'm not gonna find out. Those kids have probably washed their booger infested hands in it.' He groaned and decided to do his business before his bladder exploded. Afterwards, Yuki trudged to the kitchen and washed his hands as well as his face in the old faucet over another bucket since the water was cleaner there. While the man was standing in the den, not knowing what to do next, a growling puppy sound projected from his stomach. It was definitely breakfast time. In fact, it was almost past breakfast time. Where was the service button in this… house? What kind of place exactly _was_ this? It was way too small to be a suitable home. More like an _out_house than anything. It was too dark for him to see last night where he was, and if he would've known how poor these people were, he would not have intruded… for his _own_ personal reasons. How sanitary was the food here? Not to mention the water. And who knew what diseases these people had living in conditions like this? Maybe that's why the kid's hair was _pink_? That certainly wasn't a normal hair colour. Not even for Americans (at least not in this time period). The boy possibly had some kind of rare tuberculosis… or some form of rabies. The way he was biting those men's arms last night was making Yuki lean more toward rabies. Well, whatever kind of weird problems this family had, he was NOT staying to find out. He came to a conclusion that it would be better to leave than waste these people's times with his good looks and sultry voice. Maybe the daughter would be a little upset, but hey… he's only known her for ten minutes. Once the author grabbed his belongings and touched the door knob, it rattled from the other side. In came Mrs. Shindou with a bundle of onions in her apron.

"Oh! Mr. Yuki! I didn't expect you to be up yet. I was just fixing breakfast. Please, have a seat at the table." He could tell that she was trying very hard to impress him, so his plans changed a bit to leave AFTER breakfast. Though the tiny black bugs crawling all over those onions didn't look very appetizing at the moment… "Shuichi is outside chopping some wood for our living room fire, so we'll get this place warmed up in a sec!" She smiled cheerfully. It looked like this woman hasn't had any company for a long time. This place was very dusty, which caused Yuki's nose to tingle at times. "Shuichi!" His mother called out the small window. "Are you done with that wood?"

"Almost, mom!" He called back from outside.

"He's a very obedient young boy. I don' t know what I'd do without him sometimes." She laughed a bit and went to washing and slicing up the onions. Overall, this seemed like a perfectly normal family (not including the pink hair), except… something was missing… where was the father?

"I'm making something special this morning. I hope you like omelettes." She said in a sing-song voice.

"Sure." Yuki said quietly. Usually the man of the house would be chopping wood. So why was her son…?

"Mom! It smells really good from my room. What are you making?" Maiko chirped while skipping into the kitchen.

"Omelettes!" She answered just as cheerfully.

"Yay! I haven't had those in a long time!" She hopped.

"That's because we have a guest over. Why don't you go sit down with Mr. Yuki and keep him company?"

"Okay!" She said proactively. Once the 16 year old plopped down into her seat, all she could do was yammer on about herself and her wonderful brother. Yuki was about to whack her over the head with the nearby vase, when a sweating pink mop came in with a few cylinders of lumber.

"I'm back! And I got what you wanted mom." He said out of breath. With such a small body structure for a boy, Yuki was surprised he didn't get crushed by the overbearing weight of the wood.

"Good! Could you set them in the living room and then put a few in the fireplace. It's freezing this morning!"

"Can do!" He saluted, which almost made him lose his balance. This guy was _way_ too spirited after cutting up a dozen logs. The man was getting tired just looking at him. Well, nobody's perfect (with the exception of maybe himself). Staying here for a while was better than staying nowhere. Perhaps they would keep him entertained for a week or so. And who knew? The life style of this peculiar family may give him some inspiration that he didn't know existed.

AN/ WOOT! This one is done! In the next chapter, Shuichi and Yuki get to talking a bit more. So be ready for some questioning! The main plot will be introduced in about… one or two chapters. Depends on how long I make this prologue. We'll just have to wait and see! I'm starting ch.6 right now, so be checking for more updates either tonight or tomorrow! And please REVIEW! Thanks! -


	6. Discoveries

AN/ Finally! It's Yuki and Shuichi time! I like the reviews I'm getting. Especially from my friend, DatenshiBlue39 ( I won't mention her name. That would not be wise…). She's a total Yuki fan and always teases me on how Yuki is better than Shuichi. And I always argue back that Shuichi can kick some major butt too! AINT THAT RIGHT, MISS FLUTE PLAYER! Tee hee. She may kill me for this. Hopefully not… - -; Anyway, I want to know from everyone reviewing my story who they think is the best! Is it Yuki? Shuichi? Or would you have to call it a draw? I won't get mad if Yuki gets more votes. He IS uber hot, I can't deny it. But Shu-chan's CUTER . So, I guess I'd say it's a draw… for ME that is. What do all of YOU guys think? Give me yall's opinion. Heh heh… this'll be fun.

Look! It's Kirby! (o)/ -"Hiiii!"

Breakfast consisted of the omelettes and some rock hard bread with water. Though Yuki wasn't sure if it was safe to eat the food, he determined that it would be rude not to eat what Mrs. Shindou had worked so hard to make… and luckily, it was pretty good. For the limited amount of resources they had lying around their…home, she sure did whip up a good omelette.

Later on, Mrs. Shindou told the author that she and her daughter were going to go look for some more shillings out near the cherry tree down the road. Yuki was a bit curious of why they thought they'd find money there (since he didn't know the story) but didn't question it. She also mentioned that Shuichi would be left at the house if the man needed anything. 'Oh boy…' Yuki thought. 'Now I get to spend time with that cotton candy headed, rabies infected brat.' He sighed glumly at the thought and bid the mother and daughter farewell for the day. Once the two girls were out of sight, Yuki wandered around their shack to see if they had any medicine for headaches he could take. After all that jabbering from the little sister of the family, he felt his head was about to burst. Of course, there wasn't any, and he was sure that he wouldn't be able to get any from these people (seeing on how poor they were). So he would have to live with this pounding migraine until he could go into town and get some pain killers.

While the blonde rested on the torn couch, he saw a shadow drape over his closed eyelids. Hesitantly, the man opened them and saw the Shindou family son directly in front of his face, causing Yuki to cross his eyes to see him, and adding more ache to his head.

"What do you want?" He asked coldly.

"I was just making sure you were sleeping. You looked like you were dead laying here." He stated innocently.

"If you really want to know, my head is splitting in two right now, so I don't need you invading my personal space right now." He closed his eyes once more.

"Oh! Your head hurts? Can I get you anything?"

"Not unless you people can magically spring me a bottle of pain pills that I can take, then no."

"Pain pills? Why would you want to bring yourself more pain?"

"Sigh…" The man furrowed his brow. Now his head REALLY started to hurt. "Look. I'm just trying to sleep here so I can forget about the pain. And you're not helping, so bug off, brat." But before he could insult him, the boy had left. "Hm. Must've heeded my warning." The blonde got himself comfortable as possible and began meditating again…… though it didn't last long until Shuichi came thumping into the room once more. "Ugh! What now!" He half yelled as a clay bowl was shoved into his face, smelling of something unbearably strong, like incense. "Are you trying to make my headache worse by putting that nasty crap under my nose?"

"No. This is the medicine you need."

"Huh?"

"This'll make your head feel better." He said a bit slower in case his migraine affected his hearing.

"What is it? Doesn't look like any medicine I've ever seen." He rubbed the back of his head in slight confusion.

"My mom makes herbs… you know… medicine. And I think this is the one for headaches." He pushed the bowl toward him more.

Yuki pushed it back. "You _think_… it's the right one?" The man eyed him cautiously.

"Well… she doesn't exactly keep these things labeled. I don't know how she can tell right off the bat which is which, but I'm pretty sure this one's it. And if it isn't, what's the worse that can happen? Their only medicine for helping others." He smiled dubiously.

Well, the boy was right. It was only a bit a medicine. What would it hurt to try it? But what if he really got the herbs mixed up and this so called "medicine" was going to turn him into some kind of mutated, epileptic, ravenous, pink-haired freak like him? Now he was definitely having second thoughts on taking the drug. But once he glanced up into those big pools of glistening violet eyes of the boy, he suddenly found it hard to say no to him. So, unwillingly, the man took the bowl of herbs in his hands, grabbed the cup of water Shuichi also had for him, and ate every last bit of it. After downing it with water, Yuki waited for the accursed changes to take place throughout his body. But nothing happened. There was no altering of hair colour, no deficit effects, no tail growing out of his butt… nothing except for the soothing relief washing over his skull, erasing all the previous pain he had away. Did this brat actually give him the right medicine? Once Shuichi saw the satisfied look on the author's face, he smiled sweetly and took the bowl and cup from him to wash them out in the kitchen. It was a mystery. Yuki never took a pain killer that acted that fast and that effectively. The boy's mother was practically a miracle worker! She should be getting GOBS of cash for this kind of thing! How come they were so poor! With this quick relief, even the nobles would pay for the poor woman's herbs. As the debate went on in the novelist's now relaxed mind, Shuichi bounded into the room and fell onto the arm chair. Enthusiastically, he asked…

"Well? Did it work okay?"

"Y…yeah. Your mom made that stuff?"

"Mm-hm. She sells it too."

"What! How come your so poor then!" Yuki almost yelled while clinging to the arm rest on the couch. The teen drew back in slight fear of the sudden outburst.

Realizing that he just called then poor, Yuki apologized. "I'm sorry. What I meant to say was… how come you aren't making enough money on this deal? Medicine is a huge thing in cities today. People are getting sicker by the minute. Is your mom selling it for free or something?" He asked, hoping the answer wasn't yes.

"No."

'Phew! Good.'

"But we only sell it in the suburbs. Like here, where we live."

"What? But the people here are… not wealthy either." He rephrased his sentence.

"I know. But they're much sicker than those upper class people. Since our living area isn't that good, we're prone to more disease and starvation here. So my mom tries to help as many of those people as she can. It's true we are paid little since everyone around here is poor too, but at least it keeps food on the table. Even if her medicines don't always work, our friends are still grateful for us trying." He said all this with a glazed look in his eyes, like he was thinking back to a certain time.

After he finished, the blonde started feeling a little bad for the Shindou's. Such a kind family didn't deserve such misfortune. Guilt rushed over him as he realized the way he'd been treating them… like an upper class snob.

"But… I won't give up on my mother. She's been working hard for us since that time, and I'm willing to put my heart and soul into helping our family grow in prosperity AND wealth (if at all possible)."

"What do you mean by 'during that time'?" The novelist tried to sound disinterested , but on the inside he was curious at what the boy meant.

"………A long time ago… if fact only four years ago… my father was taken by the tax collector when we hit hard debt for the first time. I remember it… when I was fifteen." Images of that night came back to him. "My dad offered that they take him to the King and for them to leave the rest of us alone. So, the guards took him down the road, out of our sights until we could somehow pay for the bail."

Yuki listened intently on the story. So that's why the father wasn't here.

"So I became the man of the house. I remember what my father said to me before he left too. He said………

FLASHBACK

'You have a destiny, Shuichi. But you also have a fate. I want you to choose which one you would like to follow. Remember, these two futures cannot control you if you don't let them. Make the choice you think is right… and cut through any evil that challenges you, even if you don't want to. I know you will be strong. I know that you will be… our salvation in the darkness.'

END FLASHBACK

A tear dropped onto the dusty floor, cleaning it for the first time in four years. Shuichi sniffed and wiped away the offending streaks. Yuki sat silent, trying to decipher the message his father last gave him.

"So…" The boy started. "I'm going to do what my father said. I'm going to be strong and support our family until the day we our all saved comes. Though I doubt I'll have anything to do with it like he said, I still want to try and find a way for us to keep living, and hopefully be able to live a normal life style." Shuichi forced a smile through his sorrow and rested his elbows on his knees.

Yuki could only stare at the floor, a blank look carved into his features.

"Is something wrong?"

"You don't want that kind of life style kid."

"Huh?" He sniffled. "What do you mean?"

"I'm saying… that you don't want a 'normal' life style. It's… too complicated. Believe me, I know." The author looked at him honestly.

"But… but of course I do. I want my family to have a good life here. I want to make something of myself and get a real job so I can support my mother and sister. I want to get a scholarship along with my sister like any other kid would receive. How do you think we can live like this for the rest of our lives! It's terrible! I'm afraid that if I see my mother cry one more night over our father I'm going to kill myself! Why did we deserve this? What have we done to earn this life style? I don't want any more losses in this family. I want peace and equality among everyone in Arbaphem. But I don't know how to achieve it! How can I live up to my father's words if I don't know which path to take!" The boy was shouting now, about to burst into tears.

"…" Yuki was just as quiet as ever. And after a moments pause, he spoke up. "Once you find out… which future goes with which path… then I think you'll be able to find the answer easily."

Shuichi ceased his sobbing and slowly lifted his head to look at the blonde. Which path… goes with which future?

"And then if you succeed…" He half smirked, half smiled, "… maybe you can throw that Aizawa guy out on his sorry, moneymaking ass."

The Shindou boy's eyes wavered, softened at what the usually cruel man had just said.

Yuki laid back down on the couch again. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I'm going to take a quick nap. So stop blubbering and go chop some wood, or whatever you do best." Back to the nasty comments. And yet, without warning, a large bundle of pink bounced onto Yuki's chest and latched onto him like a baby koala.

"What the hell! What are you doing!" He yelled down at Shuichi who was hugging him tightly. "Get off! What do I look like, one of your teddy bears! Now off!" A pulse throbbed on his temple.

"Thank you so much Yuki-san!" The teen squeezed him some more, but gently. The author was about to push him off, but decided against it for a few seconds and ruffled the boy's hair.

"Yeah. Whatever, ya little twerp."

"Tee hee!" He squeaked.

'Hn. Looking at the brat from this angle, he actually looks kinda cute…' Yuki sat there speechless at what he just thought. 'I REALLY need to take that nap now.' He pried the jolly lad off his waist and turned over onto his side facing away from the teen. "Sheesh. How old are you? Fourteen? You sure act like it."

"Me? Oh, I'm nineteen."

"I thought so. No wonder yo…..WHAT! Are you serious?"

"Um, yep!" He smiled.

"You're only four years younger than me!"

"I am?…Oh! I am!"

"Geez… I'm finding out everything about you today, aren't I? And it's only the second day I've met you!"

"Yup! Cool, huh?" Shuichi tilted his head adorably.

"Whoever knew that I, a famous travelling author, would end up here in this strange place."

"Uh-huh!….Wait… travelling author?"

"Yeah. I mentioned that earlier. Weren't you listening? I'm popular in America. Ring a bell?"

"…" DING DING DING! "AHHHHH!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. "You're, you're th-that Yuki! The one I… that book was written by… you're the guy who writes romance… you're the guy that wrote 'A Spy For My Love'!"

"That's me."

"I LOVE YOU!"

AN/ That title, "A Spy For My Love", was a Weiss Kruez fan fiction DatenshiBlue39 wrote once. That one's for you girl!


	7. Inspired Confessions

AN/ Alright. This chapter's pretty self explanatory. It's gonna tell how Shuichi and Yuki fell in love and all that. And THEN… a major plot twist appears in the next chapter. BUM BUM BUUUUM! I've been waiting to write ch.8 for a while, and now, right after this one, I will be able to! So be expecting some action and drama soon! Oh, and one more thing. If any of you readers think that I'm going to get all angsty at some point in this story… you are so WRONG! In case any of you didn't know, I absolutely HATE angst. No offence to the people who write it, I have no grudge against them, but I just don't like that certain genre overall. It's WAY too sad for me. Especially those ones that have Shuichi or Yuki dying in them and the other either stays in solitude for a million years or commits suicide. I can't take those kind of things. I'm a pretty sensitive person at times, ya know… ;; Anyway, just wanted to tell yall that (in case you were expecting something like that, though there WILL be some sad moments, they won't be angsty).

Good news! Summer band schedule has been changed from 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM to 8:00AM - 12:30 PM! YAY! Now I won't have to waste more than half my day on school grounds! So I'll have more down time to write these chapters. I'm very genki right now. nn

It had been three weeks staying with the Shindou family. Somehow, the novelist had an odd urge to be with these people. They were always very inviting, and… they were free! Another bonus included the great scenery set around the area they lived in. Even if the suburbs were filled with the lower class, the nature residing here was positively magnificent. Majestic trees with a full head of rustling leaves, secluded roads that led to even more beautiful settings, animal life was plentiful with many blue birds and the occasional squirrels… but what was most breathtaking was the lake that rested peacefully in a large grassy clearing. It was hidden in the forest's depths and was formed by the creak that the Shindou's used for water. It was safe to say that the water they now drank was clean, because Yuki had never seen such transparent liquid in all his life. You could see ever single detail, including the tiny pebbles at the lake bottom. When it was a nice day out, the sun would release its soft rays onto the rippling surface, and it looked like shimmering diamonds were dancing upon the lake's top. The author felt that if he touched the holy water, it would shatter like stained glass. This place truly was a gold mine for inspiration. And that's why the man decided to stay a little while longer than he intended.

Not only was the scenery inspiring, but the family he was staying with were as well. There was always a bustle among them and nothing ever seemed to phase their bright and cheerful moods. How they could be that happy when they lived like this? That was a mystery that Yuki thought he would never find out, but he was getting used to their ways. The blonde was having more good mood days since he'd been spending time with the Shindous, and that was always a plus in his book. Speaking of books, the author had just finished his next novel called, "Black Tranquility". Shuichi was the first one to receive a copy and he had almost melted into his own tears once he read it in one day. It was amazing for a guy who had never had a school education before to read that fast. Of course, after he was done practically skimming through the whole book, he went up to Yuki and started praising him and asking why he did this to the main character and when his next book would be out. The blonde always rolled his eyes and answered him with a "Hn.".

Just like Eiri had interpreted, the outskirts of Arbaphem was a BIG help to his story writing. And if possible, he'd like to stay here for a while and write his next novel. The nature here really did him good for inspiration. Though it wasn't just the outdoors that aided him through his writer's block… it was also that little pink-haired punk, Shuichi Shindou. Even if the kid didn't look like much, he had a certain glowing aura about him that gave the novelist a reassuring push during hard parts in his book. And the boy wasn't even doing it on purpose! Yuki didn't think he'd ever figure out what it was about the teenager that turned on a light inside his brain, but as long as it helped him write, he didn't care much either way…… though… he was becoming quite fond of the brat.

They had probably spent the most time of all together. Usually, Yuki didn't associate with people stupider than him, but for some reason, the kid made him feel… well, happier sometimes. It was like looking at a part of himself that used to exist long ago. One that he often missed. He could tell that there was a particular sensation about the boy that made the novelist trust him and act comfortable around him. The same went for Shuichi. He as well had grown quite fond of the older man… in fact, VERY fond. Apparently, he had fallen in love with his favourite author of all time, and was extremely afraid of what the blonde would say if he told him. What if he was rejected and Yuki didn't talk to him anymore? Or worse… what if he decided to leave? No! He couldn't live without the man! But he HAD to tell him how he felt. The teen pondered all day long on what he should do and if he did go up to Yuki and confront him about it, how would he say it? Unfortunately, the only thing in life that Shuichi had ever been in love with (besides his family), was strawberry pocky. How would he explain to a _person_, let alone another _man_, that he loved them! Well, once sunset was approaching, the thoughtful Shuichi made a choice. He would tell the man how he felt, plain and simple. And if his love was put down, then… well, he hadn't thought that far ahead yet. But instead of dwelling on the subject even further, the boy marched down to the lake where Yuki was writing his next book, stood firmly, put on his serious face, and said straight out…

"I love you!"

At first, Yuki thought he meant that in the way he always praised him for his books, but once Shuichi started making his long speech about how _exactly_ he meant what he said, the author froze up. And once he saw the kid's eyes, he knew that he wasn't joking about his statement.

Shuichi had closed his eyes tightly, anticipating the worst from the critic's mouth… but there was no barrage of cruel words or rejection. Just silence and then a small familiar sound whenever the boy told him how good his book was.

"Hn."

And for the first time since they met, Shuichi saw the man smile. He never expected such a loving gesture to grace Yuki's lips until now. It looked so gorgeous on him. The novelist reached out to give a light brush of the hand on the lad's face. At this, Shuichi almost died from the blood that rushed to his face, turning his head into a big pink cherry. The blonde started laughing at the sight before him. A genuine laugh coming from a man like him? This was all too much for the love struck teenager! After a minute of baffled looks from Shuichi, Yuki silently walked away from the lake and toward the Shindou's cottage, placing his hands behind his head for support. The boy looked on, and little confused at the actions his beloved just displayed, but sighed in relief that he didn't exactly get a rejection from him. He ran after the man and clung to his strong arm, giggling for no apparent reason. Yuki mumbled for him to get off, as they reached the tiny cottage up ahead. If they were going to be lovers from now on, Yuki had to make sure that no one knew about it. He didn't want anyone to think Shuichi was weirder than he already was. Of course, he guessed that made him weird too… but it was definitely a good kind of weird.

AN/ Sorry this chapter was so short. I just didn't know what else to do in it! Ch.8 will be more exciting to write for me, so it'll be longer, kay?

Oh, and I think I know who Hiro will be with. Sorry for everyone who thinks I should put him with guys… because, Hiro is just so… straight to me. I mean, you can just look at him, and see the straightness. I don't think he could pass off as a gay guy in a million years. LOL! At least he wouldn't in the anime, that's for sure. ; So I'll either put him with Maiko, or no one. I'm leaning more toward no one at the moment. BECAUSE I LOVE HIM SO MUCH! I like red/orange headed anime guys a lot. Like Tasuki from Fushigi Yugi, Kurama from Yu Yu Hakusho (duh. Who DOESN'T like him?), Gojyo from Saiyuki (which I am listening to Saiyuki music on my computer right now, how ironic!), Hiro from Gravitation… the list goes on. Maybe in the next author's note I'll tell you all what my favourite animes and mangas are. At least SOME of them… I have a lot… I think I need another hobby - -; … JK! - Please review! 


	8. The Path Has Opened

AN/ Yay! The climax to the Prologue! Then the good parts of my dream will come in. Hoorah and Huzzah! Thank you to all that are reading this. I never expected that you'd get this many hits in only a few weeks! It just goes to show ya that people from all over the world are reading this stuff. And it's inconceivable to imagine how many! Oh! And all of yall can read my other story too! It's in the romance section, or just look up my author name, PockyMania. It's called "A Crime in the Making". Shuichi and Yuki get held up by a robber in a clothes store. Eek! Please read that too!

Ugh… we just got Summer marching band pictures done today… OUTSIDE! And it was _murder_ wearing those think black pants and heavy band coats! I thought I would have heat stroke! Me and DatenshiBlue39 were both sweating to our toes! But then, afterward we got together with some other friends and had pizza at

Ci Ci's, so it was an okay day. - Hope you like this "chappie" (as DatenshiBlue39 calls them. She's such a weirdo… LOL!)

A few months passed by and Yuki was still living in the Shindou's cottage. It was almost like having a father again since he started helping out with the chores and rebuilding parts of their home (though he would be a big meany father, lol). But as for Shuichi's relationship with him… well, if you read the last chapter, you'd know. No one had found out that the two were lovers yet. Not even the boy's own family! Though Maiko kept sending her older brother suspicious glances at times, they were paid no heed. Things had been going extremely well for the couple, and so had life overall. Mrs. Shindou was liking the idea of having another man around to help with the place, so she didn't complain about him staying for quite a few more years. Neither did the rest of them for that matter.

But… fate had another plan for this family. One that would change not only their lives… but their relationships as well.

It was after dinner one night that Yuki and Shuichi decided to visit the lake and witness the harvest moon that fall. Once they got there, the golden bauble was reigning overhead, splattering its light upon the water, making it seem like a field of golden wheat was waving agilely on the lake's surface. It was enough to make them both gasp at the elegant sight. Something ethereal as this belonged in heaven itself. No wonder the body of water was called "Angel Wing Lake". The two sat down under a great oak tree and admired the alluring masterpiece before them.

"I've never seen a moon that full and big! How does it become that yellow colour?" Shuichi tilted his head in puzzlement.

"It's hard to tell which is making the other gold. The lake is reflecting it's light toward the moon, or is it the moon casting it's beams onto the lake?"

"Well, that's easy! The moon is, silly!"

"I _know_ that, baka. I'm just enhancing the dramatization."

"Oh… what does… dramatization mean?"

"Sigh… you see, this is why you aren't a good poem writer."

"Hey, it's not my fault that you were given the talent to write and I wasn't!" His koi pouted.

"Calm down. I'm just joshing you." He ruffled the boy's hair. "But you're _still_ a bad writer."

"Whatever." Shuichi giggled and nudged him in the side. After a few more minutes of staring at the scenery, the Shindou son began to rub his arms from a chilly breeze.

"Are you cold?" The author asked.

"Kind of." He chattered.

"Hm." Yuki grinned. "C'mere." He motioned for the 19 year old to get closer to him. Though the boy hesitated a bit. "You better hurry before I change my mind. We don't have a blanket out here."

"Oh! Right!" The teen snuggled up to his lover and rested his head daintily upon the man's lean shoulder. It was a heavenly feeling laying up against his blonde knight in shining armor, such a coincidence since they were sitting next to a lake given a heavenly name. Warmth spread throughout the smaller man's body as he bathed in his love's heat. He would've almost fallen asleep there if Yuki hadn't stirred to get up.

"C'mon. We better go back. It's getting late." He whispered into his koi's ear, which radiated shivers up Shuichi's spine every time he did that.

"Yuki." The boy gazed up into the novelist's cat-like eyes and stayed fixated on that spot for a long time. Yuki did the same, hypnotized by Shuichi's sapphire glazed eyes. His petite button nose. His sugar coated pink hair. His soft cherry lips…… which were soon enveloped by Yuki's own. They shared a fervent kiss, filled with eloquence and love. Though the action was soon stopped once the author had his small koibito onto the grass panting. He didn't want to start anything that would overwhelm the boy.

"What do you say we go back and find a warmer place to stay in." Yuki breathed huskily.

"Y… you don't mean…we're gonna…" Shuichi fidgeted awkwardly.

"Wha?… Oh! No no no. At least… not yet. I don't think you'd be ready for that. Unless… you think you are."

"…mmmmm…" The teen shrugged.

"We'll wait a little while longer until you feel ready." The blonde bent down to press a chaste kiss upon the boy's head. "Let's go." He pulled up the younger man with one swift tug, and down the path they went toward the Shindou's house. Shuichi DID want to try it with Yuki. He really did… but he felt he wasn't emotionally prepared for that yet. So instead of rushing the matter, he and his lover waited patiently until the 19 year old could adapt to the thought of becoming one with Yuki. And why be in a hurry? They had all the time in the world for their new love to blossom, right?

As the twosome headed straight for the front yard, they noticed that the entrance was ajar. At first they thought that Mrs. Shindou had gone out to get water, but soon realized that it was night, and their mother never went out at that time for fear of the wolves. So, with their pace quickening, Yuki and Shuichi walked into the house to find that nothing seemed to be out of place… except for a low mumbling coming from their living room that sounded like two male voices. Now Shuichi was really freaking out. What if two robbers had broken in and attacked his mother and sister while they were gone! Before he could run in to find out though, Yuki halted him and put a finger up to his lips, signing a silent hush. The blonde tip toed, as quiet as a mouse, over to the door frame and peeked into the den, spotting Mrs. Shindou and Maiko seated on the ratty couch, both with terrified looks on their faces. Standing in the middle of the room were two men dressed in black cloaks, exchanging conversation with each other in hushed tones. Seeing that his mother and sister were alright, Shuichi blindly walked into the living room and asked…

"Hey, what's going on?" Yuki slapped a hand to his head once he found that the pink haired idiot had left his side.

Almost immediately, Mrs. Shindou's face turned from terrified, to horrified. She shouted at him and Yuki, "Get out of here you two! Run!" The two men coated in black whirled around to find the intruders and, with inhuman speed, lunged toward them. Just in time, Yuki stood in front of Shuichi and blocked their path, giving them ominous looks.

"Who are you, and what do you want!" He yelled darkly.

At first the strangers withdrew from the man's harsh voice, but quickly recovered and reached to grab him as well.

"Hey! Don't you touch him!" Shuichi clung to the writer's arm in a failed attempt to ward the men off. Instead he got a rough snatch at his arm, which he tried to repel. But as soon as they were pulling the boy off the novelist's arm, Yuki let his fist fly onto one of the stranger's face, landing the guy against the wall and to the ground with a thump. Unfortunately, the second of them sprinted around behind the blonde and kicked him hard in the back, causing Yuki to arch forward and fall to his knees. Somehow, the recently injured man in black recovered rapidly from the blow and grabbed onto Shuichi, swiping out a knife from his cloak pocket. This made both Yuki and Mrs. Shindou petrified. Maiko yelped with horror. The author glared menacingly at the two men holding his lover captive and regained his composure.

Finally he got enough common sense back to ask, "What do you want? Why are you here?"

Silence.

"We've have nothing that will interest you here. So, please, leave us be." Yuki demanded as calmly as possible.

At first, the men in black were reluctant to speak, wary of whether this was a trap, but after noticing that the man had no weapons on him, they answered.

"The time is coming." The first said.

"What time? What do you mean?" The blonde responded back.

"Everything will change." Retorted the second. "The people of this city will finally realize what fate is waiting for them."

Shuichi listened intently after he heard the word fate thrown in their dialogue.

"The dark age is about to begin."

"Shadows with engulf all things that block it's path. The darkness will swallow the hearts of the world."

Okay, now Yuki was starting to think that these guys were just plain lunatics, though Shuichi thought differently.

'Darkness? Fate? A path? This is all what my father told me…' He paused.

"Every human being will disintegrate…"

"…and the demons inside them will come out."

"What the hell-!" Yuki was becoming aggravated with their nonsense talk.

"And once every one's hearts become black, there won't be anymore hearts that exist."

"What are you talking about!" The blonde finally yelled at them.

"Be prepared…"

"For the dawning of darkness!" The stranger's eyes flashed with ecstasy.

"Dawn on this!" Shuichi shouted and dug his heel right into both of the men's feet. Letting out a shriek, they released their hold on the boy. The teen grabbed his mother and sister's hands and led them into his bedroom along with Yuki, locking the door.

While they were catching their breaths on the bed (since they were all holding it in anticipation), Mrs. Shindou addressed her son.

"Shuichi…" She said sadly.

"What is it? Are you and Maiko okay, mom?" He held onto her arms and tried to look up into her worn face. She didn't speak for a minute, but soon got up the courage to tell him…

"Shuichi… you must leave from here."

"……What?" He sounded distant, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Please, son… take Maiko and Yuki with you… and get out of this house."

"Mom… what are you sa-"

"Take yourselves as far away from here as you possibly can and don't let them find you! Hurry! Before they get yo-"

BOOM!

The door rattled.

"Shit! They're trying to get in." Yuki made a leap for the dresser and pulled it in front of the entrance. "That should hold them off… but only for a few minutes." He informed.

"Mother! What the hell are you suggesting!" Shuichi was frantic with worry now. He would NEVER leave his mother in a situation like this. Was she crazy!

"I'm telling you… you must go to the city. It may be safer there than it is here. I don't think they've penetrated that part yet. So, go."

"But mom-"

"That's an ORDER, Shuichi Shindou!" She yelled at him. Maiko didn't have a clue what was going on and only gave quick glances at each of them for a hint. Yuki only stared at them, perplexed as well.

"But mom…… why?" Shuichi was on the verge of breaking down into tears right about now.

"……… Do you remember what your father told you?"

BOOM!

"About how you have a fate and a destiny?"

The boy nodded shakily.

"Well… the time has come, my son. It's time for you to follow the path that has been given to you. The whole story that those men out there just explained to you… is true." She had a crack in her voice. "Dark times are about to befall us Shuichi. I… I knew myself that this would happen one day. That you would have to leave here. That we would have to part…" The broken down mother held back her sobs. "You MUST understand Shuichi. This is the beginning of a new future for you. A new opportunity has been laid at your feet, and you MUST take it! Otherwise…"

BOOM!

"… the world will be lost… in darkness."

"……… but… who?"

"I'm not sure who exactly… but someone with enough evil in their hearts to start this corruption must have started this. And only one person can bring the city of Arbaphem back to its original state. Where light can once again shine upon this land…"

"W-who?" He stuttered, afraid of knowing the answer. The family waited in suspense for their mother's response.

BOOM!

"You… my son. You are the only one who can save us. You can be our salvation in the darkness, Shuichi."

BOOM!

The teenager stood their, speechless. All that stuff his father had said to him back then… that he would make something of himself, and save them all one day…… he was speaking of that _literally_!

"No… what? How! How did you…"

"I've known ever since you were born Shuichi. When the priest in our church baptised you, he foretold an important role in your life… that you would be the savior of our lives and future. At first, I didn't believe it either. But then he showed me through a dream that I had. And it was you, Shuichi. You were the one who was defeating the darkness and freeing people from the evil in their hearts."

"B-but… but I can't! I mean… have you ever seen me do something as great as even help someone in need before! How will I be able to save a whole city if I can't even live up to what my father expected me to be! How!" He screamed loudly.

BOOM!

The echo of the door being slammed into and Shuichi's voice mixed together resonated throughout the tiny room. But the only answer he got from his mother was a weak smile and tears cascading down her face.

"Your father… wanted me to tell you all that. He believes you can do it. I do too."

The boy paused and thought about his father.

"It's your fate… Shuichi."

A picture of the boy's father popped into his head briefly.

"It's your destiny… Shuichi."

BOOM!

"Shuichi! We need to get out of here. Those guys are gonna break through there at any moment!" Yuki took Maiko's hand and helped her out the window. At the that moment, Shuichi's eyes were filled with an understanding and confidence that he had never felt before. If this… was how he could help his family and live up to his father's words… then hell! He would follow this foreign path into his unknown future. And no matter what lies ahead of him… he would always have his family and friends to support him.

"Okay."

BOOM!

"I'll… I'll do it."

BOOM!

"I'll follow the path I was given! And I promise that I'll make something of myself mom!" He smiled through wet eyes.

"Just saying that son… is already making something of you. Something that… I wish I were able to see."

BOOM!

"Shuichi! Come on!"

"Mom, take my hand!" The boy held it out to her. But she made no gesture to move. "Mom… let's go! They're coming!"

"…… I'm afraid… that I must stay here." She said simply.

Now Shuichi was really upset. "What?… What! No! You're coming with me mom! We're going to get through this together! There's still time!"

"No, there isn't any time left for me Shuichi. This is the part that I have to say goodbye. I can't come with you. I would only slow you down. Besides… I have to be the decoy for you to escape."

"No! You can't leave us mom!" Maiko screamed through newly shed tears.

"I don't have a choice!" She shouted back. After a moments silence, she spoke again. "When the priest was showing me your future… I saw my own as well." Pause. "Even if I went with you… there would be no way that I could benefit you on your journey. I've seen my path. And it turns out that fate has laid out it's course."

Shuichi began crying softly.

"You must understand my son." She touched the sides of his face gently, the last motherly touch he'd ever receive in many years. "This is Kami's will. I will serve my purpose I have been given. Just as you will yours. So please… don't make this harder than it already is…" She hiccupped a moment, and gazed up at her only son with pleading eyes. "… Go. Be our salvation, Shuichi. I will always be near you. I will protect your heart from the darkness that lingers here."

Shuichi held her hands and lowered his face to hide the tears.

"Go… make your father proud." She gave him one last kindly smile.

BOOM! CRACK!

The door was splitting open.

"Shuichi!" Yuki latched onto his lover's arm and pulled him away from his mother.

"Nooo! Mother! Don't leave me!" He scrambled to her, but Yuki's grip held firm as he dragged him out the window. Maiko's screams could be heard in the background as well. And as Shuichi was being whisked away by strong arms, he saw the last of his mother's smiling face… as she mouthed out…

"I love you."

And as if on cue, the candle near his bed went out, submerging the room in darkness, following the loud and terrifying sound of his bedroom door being burst open and hitting the ground.

"MOTHER!"

AN/ Ahhh! I'm making myself cry here! Well, almost. But my eyes sure are watering! I can't wait till I get the next chapter up! It'll be exciting! Be looking forward to it! My friend DatenshiBlue39 will be over my house tomorrow so she can help me put my fan fictions up on because for some reason I can't seem to get my second chapter of this story on there! It's driving me insane! . But, hopefully she'll be of some help, ne? See ya in the next chapter! PLEASE REVIEW! (Please disregard any spelling or grammar errors because I'm too lazy right now to read this whole thing and fix stuffs. Sorry! ;)


	9. Sanctuary in the Rubble

AN/ Well, things are getting pretty intense with our young hero. The next few chapters will also be kind of sad so be prepared. And I'll give you all three guesses who the priest is. I shant give you any hints! Sorry if this story sounds a lot like Kingdom Hearts. It's not supposed to be. But the way I was talking with stuff like "all the world will be covered in darkness", did sound like Ansem and all that, didn't it… what can I say? I love that game. Some other video games I like are Soul Calibur, Silent Hill, Harvest Moon, Katamari, Full Metal Alchemist, Inuyasha: The Secret of the Cursed Mask, Zelda, Poke'mon Snap, Poke'mon Stadium (what can I say? I still love those games!), Metal Gear Solid, Mario Kart, Mario Party, Mario Tennis, Mario 64, Yoshi Story, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Parasite's Eve, Ico… the list goes on. So I'll stop here. If any of you people out there like any of these vg's, let me know! I'll tell yall some of my favourite animes next time! -

Another loved one… gone.

Shuichi was beginning to lose hope as he saw the lights in his room go out and the last image of his mother's bittersweet face through the window. What would they do to her? Interrogate her of where they went? Torture her? Kill her?… the boy almost threw up at the thought. He already lost one parent… could he stand losing another?

During their escape, he had little time to think about all that had happened lately. After he got his thoughts gathered, the teen remembered his mother saying something about heading to town for help, that it wouldn't have been affected yet. Affected by what? The darkness? How many people would suffer from this evil? How many men in black cloaks would there be to restrain so many citizens? And where the hell was the church! Because of the little offering the family had, they never often went to church. They were ashamed of the scarce pay they had. So Shuichi obviously hadn't been there for a while. Without their mom, what chance of survival did they have out here? Lower class were certainly not welcome, so what if they were shunned out of town by the nobles? But it was too late to be thinking about all that right now, after all it didn't take long to reach the center of Arbaphem.

Yuki was still hauling the two siblings along with his hands, no doubt that he was probably pretty tired of doing so. The trio was breathing hard from the work out, but none of them were about to give up any time soon with the men in black possibly tailing them.

The path turned to cobble a few meters ahead and the taller buildings would be in plain sight after they broke through the shadow of trees.

"We're almost there! Just hang on a little longer you two!" Yuki called to his back. At least his gallant blonde lover was still here to comfort them.

The end of the forest was in sight, which relaxed everyone's muscles a tad. Maybe they could find sanctuary in the city, because the outskirts didn't seem to be safe anymore!

"Finally! We've reached the…" Shuichi halted in his tracks, as did the others.

The usually tranquil city of Arbaphem… had become a war zone.

Apartments and businesses were toppled, ready to collapse altogether. Accessory stands were shredded into large pieces of splinters and the earth underneath them was cracked in numerous places. Now it really did look like veins were running throughout the town. Expansive crevices were scattered along the street, leaving enormous gaps behind for unsuspecting passer-bys to fall to their death if not seen right away. Small fires were still burning subtly in blackened areas of buildings and condos. And as for the people… not one in sight.

"Where… where is everyone?" Maiko asked meekly.

"I've never seen the streets this empty." Yuki stated. "And I haven't been living here for long."

"Did… the darkness actually get to them first?"

"Huh?" The two blonde's questioned him.

"People who have the most darkness in their hearts are most likely to get overtaken by the darkness first, right? So maybe, driven by the powers of greed and pride, the upper class were hit first." It all started to make sense to him now.

"So… that means that… everybody is gone?" His sister whimpered.

"I… guess so. I can't think of any other reason why the city would be in such bad shape and the roads barren like this." The boy glanced at every nook and cranny to see if there was even the slightest sign of life, but to no prevail.

"Well, at least be thankful that we weren't caught by the darkness so soon… unlike these poor fools. Don't we have a church to find?"

"That's right! We'd better get going before those guys catch up with us!" Shuichi ran straight into town along with his companions, hoping there to be some kind of indication of where the sanctuary was. He had to stop mourning for his recent loss. Crying would get him nowhere, and he knew his mother would agree.

After jumping over a few rough edges in the road, and squeezing through some fallen rubble that landed on the street, the trio STILL had no clue where this catholic church was. Things were becoming more frustrating by the minute.

"Argh! Where is it! We've been through every boulevard and alley way and it's still impossible to find!" Yuki grunted angrily.

"And how could everyone in town just suddenly disappear! It's not possible in this limited amount of time since yesterday!" Maiko declared.

"Plus, there were fires here. We would have seen the smoke coming from town if the place was attacked." The blonde contemplated on this strange matter.

"… You can't see anything in the dark… no matter how bright a light is… the darkness in people's hearts can never be cured. That's why we didn't see all this occur." Shuichi began realizing how things were going to work from now on. It wouldn't be easy to comprehend at first, but he hoped that everything would come to him as soon as possible. Otherwise, it would be too late if something unexpected happened.

"So you're saying that it was too dark to see mountainous flames engulf the entire city? I don't believe this!" Yuki was losing his composure for sure, but no one could blame him. The two siblings were pretty flustered as well.

Shuichi was about to calm the indignant man, when something drifted into their line of vision in the rubble.

"Huh? What's that?" Maiko tilted her head in curiosity. A small rock tumbled down from a certain pile of debris, rolled over to Shuichi's feet, and stopped there. Before the teen could react, a tall shadow came peeking out from the boulders.

"Hey! Who's there!" The blonde yelled threateningly at the being behind the rocks.

"That looks like…" The younger man took a few steps forward to get a better view of whose form was hiding along side the rubble. "HIRO!"

"Shuichi?" The red head came into the light of a still standing street lamp, his emerald eyes flashed with comfort as little pink headed friend was running toward him, hitting him full force in a vice gripping hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay! I thought those evil shadow guys had gotten you!" The 19 year old cried happily into Hiro's vest.

"Ha! You think I'd let those baddies capture me? I don't think so!" He laughed at himself.

"Phew! It's just Hiro." Maiko sighed in relief. Yuki dropped his guard and joined the two rejoined friends.

"Ah. Mr. Yuki. Thank you for helping these two find their way here. With all that's going on lately, those shadow beings could jump out at any second and drag them away." The librarian bowed in gratitude.

"Hm? You know what's going on?" The blonde inquired.

"Yes. I've know ever since I became friends with Shuichi that this would all happen. You see… I accidentally overheard his parents talking one day about his future. They saw me eavesdropping and pleaded for me not to tell him anything of what they discussed."

"So… you knew about how these guys were going to destroy the town… and about my destiny and fate?"

"Yeah… sorry I didn't tell ya buddy. But I promised your parents. But now you should know everything, right? Your mom told you about it all?"

"…Yeah. But… she…" The boy was about to break into tears again, but remembered the vow he made to himself about toughing it out, and stuck to it. "She did."

"Good. And… I'm sorry about what happened to her…"

"It's okay."

After a silent lapse, Hiro turned to Maiko and asked her, "What about you? Will you be alright?"

"Yeah! I'm fine too!" She puffed out her chest in an attempt to be unwavering, though the older boy could still see the hurt in her eyes.

"…Okay. Follow me then." The red head turned on his heel and began walking down the main road.

"Huh? Hiro, where are you going?"

"We're going to the church. My job in your future, Shuichi, was to help you reach your destination when the time came. But quickly, before they find us. It's not too far from here. We'll take a back alley way that I know so it'll be faster and we won't get spotted by any shadow demons." He faced front once more and kept walking.

At first, the group was reluctant to go, but knew that if they didn't the dark beings would surely find them. So with one swift step, the trip tailed behind the librarian, each one keeping their fingers crossed for a safe trip.

Everyone was lead into a back alley like Hiro explained and followed along the mini narrow labrinth until an end was reached. Maiko yelped at a few rats that were infesting the path way, so Yuki had to carry the girl bridal style so she wouldn't fuss and have them get caught. Once the friends left the cold confinement of the alley, they came face to face with the grand catholic church of Arbaphem… though it wasn't grand anymore. Now the structure was tattered and run down thanks to the evil shadow demons that had terrorized the place. The beautiful stained glass windows that graced each indention were shattered, taking away the true glow of the sanctuary, though it had held up better than the other buildings.

"Hurry! They're getting closer!" Hiro whispered loudly, gesturing with his hand to follow him into the church's ruins. No one wasted any time to doddle, and crept up toward the entrance along with their leader, each of them checking over their shoulders for any signs of the men in black. Carefully, the red head pushed open the massive double doors of the church. Them being the size they were and the age, the wooden structures creaked slightly, which made everyone scramble inside before they were spotted. The entrance closed off, and all anyone could see was black. The candles weren't lit.

"Brother! I'm scared…" Maiko whimpered and clung to his arm.

"Don't worry. I don't sense any ominous auras from this darkness."

"Since when did you suddenly 'sense' evil?" Yuki raised an eyebrow, disbelievingly.

"Since he became the chosen one!" An unfamiliar voice echoed throughout the spacious sanctuary.

"Huh! Wh-who was that!" The teenage girl shrieked. "A ghost?"

"Ha ha ha! I'm not a ghost! I _work_ with them."

"Eek!" She hid her face in the fabric of Shuichi's sleeve.

"Who are you?" The boy asked bravely.

"Relax you guys." Hiro chuckled at their reactions and lit a nearby alter candle. "He's a friend."

"Hello!" A pleasantly perky young man was illuminated by the new light surrounding the room. "I'm priest Uesugi Tatsuha! Sorry if I scared you guys there."

AN/ And Tatsuha shows up! He'll play an important role in this whole dream of mine. Oh! And Yuki's last name isn't Uesugi. That'll be Tatsuha (cause in this story they're not related). And Yuki's is just… Yuki. He didn't have his bad past back then, but he did have a rough child hood, with kids beating him up and his dear mother dying soon on. That's why he's so cold in his story. There is no such thing as a Yuki Kitazawa in here. Sorry if I disappointed any of yall! But it didn't fit very well. I hope you enjoy the next chapter I'll be putting up soon. Because it'll be the last chapter before the REAL plot comes in! Yay! Finally, after ch.10 we'll REALLY get started. Keep giving me reviews so I'll be inspired to continue please! Show me that you're all interested in what will happen next! Thank you!


	10. Fateful Farewell

AN/ This chapter will also be sad… and you'll soon read why. Oh! And here is a list of the pairing in this story: Yuki x Shuichi, probably Ryu x Tatsuha (if I ever find a place in the story where they can meet)… and that's practically it… I may get Maiko with someone, but I haven't though that up yet. Let me know if you have any suggestions! I was thinking Maiko x Suguru… hmmm… -- ARGH! I am so ticked! They moved back the date of release for Final Fantasy: Advent Children to October, and not September! I was so looking forward to seeing it too cries! It's only one month added, but it's still disappointing… I wanted to see Vincent and Sephiroth SOOOO BAD! Sigh… oh well… here's the story! ;;

"Did you all manage to get here safely?" The priest asked, still his cheery self.

"Yes. But I think that they are trailing close behind." Hiro answered.

"Ah. Well then, follow me!" He chirped and lead them to the front of the alter.

Yuki scoffed for a moment and sarcastically put in, "Tch. What are we gonna do? Pray for out lives?"

"Yuki, be nice. He's helping us." Shuichi scolded his lover for his foul attitude.

"I think you'll be surprised my friend." Tatsuha smiled assuredly and pulled down the cross mantle piece in the middle of the wooden table. A clicking sound was heard coming from the object, and behind the priest a secret passage began to open. No one could tell that there was another door hidden in the pattern of the cobble stone wall. "Well? Are you all going to stand there gawking, or are you going to come along?" The black haired pastor waited at the hidden door's frame for them to snap out of their trance. A few seconds later, the three shook their heads briskly and started following Tatsuha again. The private passage turned into a winding stair case with bright torches flaming on the sides of the curved walls. It kept twisting upwards until a solitary wooden door was in sight at what felt like the very climax of the church's keep. Priest Tatsuha hummed to himself while pulling out of his pocket a set of keys for each room in the sanctuary. He had a special one at the end of the ring which he took hold of and pushed it into the key hole on the door knob. He jostled it a couple of times until you could hear a distinct click emit from the lock, and the door had opened.

Inside, was a cylindrical room made out cobble stone from top to bottom. The ceiling pointed up into a cone, which meant this was the church's tallest tower and above them was the steeple. There were a few picnic looking tables with crimson velvet cloth draped over each one. A carpet rested on the rock floor, forest green with gold embroidery. And the last bit of color in the den was the deep purple curtains lightly cascading down the sides of a particularly beautiful stained glass window. The sun that beamed through the glass caused each color to print itself neatly on the floor and walls. A design was in the middle of the piece, presenting a picture of an angel with short red hair and wearing a delicate golden brown robe streaming down the cherub's small form. Shuichi was enticed by this charming art, and felt like he was going to loose himself in it if he stared at it too long. The others looked around curiously, taking in the surroundings like a baby when it's first born. Tatsuha sat down at the blanketed table to the right and flipped through a think book that had already been set there. The rest of the group decided to do the same.

"Hmmm, let's see… no, not here… uh-uh…" The priest flipped through a few pages, fingering each line on the paper to find what he was looking for.

"Um… Uesugi-san?" Shuichi addressed shyly.

"Hm? Yes?" Tatsuha kept turning through the book.

"I have a feeling that… you know what's going on with me and the city. My mom even said that you predict futures for people."

"Ah ah… not just for _anyone._ I only did it for your mother because it was necessary. This is a big time we're going through right now, and it will be for the next few years or so."

"Okay, then can you tell me EXACTLY what's going on? I'm still a little confused. What's going to happen to me? What's my future? What will happen to Arbaphem. Who's behind all this?"

"…" Silence. "Ah-ha! Here it is!" Tatsuha exclaimed, and read from the paragraph.

_Takashi Shindou- August 8th, 1760._

Shuichi knitted his brow in wonderment. 'Did he just say… Takashi _Shindou_?'

_The day of judgment is approaching. Darkness will swallow the once tranquil land of this oblivious world, and all hearts will be lost in the everlasting evil that resides there. Our own fears and wants will grip our minds and bind us to an inevitable fate. Though the destiny of others will trial against these forces, none will prevail. It is a doom that will befall us in a time where our own shadows can't be trusted. As long as the empty void in the coldness of other's hearts live on, the people have no chance of achieving the after life, or deliverance from the omega._

Tatsuha checked to make sure everyone was still listening, and bent his head back down to read some more.

_Only he, with the power to conquer this dark potency, can will away the black hole that's rested within trapped minds. The Salvation will emancipate the people's dark silhouette, and restore peace back to it's proper place in the world. He will break the bonds that hold fear and want together, changing them to courage and need. Hearts will lose their extra shadow and beat with the flow of morality again. The Salvation will mend the minds of all innocents back together and aid the current of time to it's formal self. Goodness shall reign, and darkness forgotten._

The pastor shut the book after the last word was spoken, and gazed up to see how the group would answer to that passage.

"…What was that?" Yuki asked, irritated and baffled at the same time.

"That was a paragraph written by a very significant someone in the 1760's. Takashi Shindou was a great man, full of ideas for the future. It seemed only natural that he'd find out about the world's fate and write something about it."

"But how did he know this was going to happen?"

"He was like me. A priest and a median."

"Takashi… his last name was Shindou?" Shuichi asked intently.

"Yes. _Your_ last name, Shuichi. Your great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great…"

"Get on with it!" The author snapped.

"…great grandfather." He finished, smiling amusedly at the grumpy blonde before him.

"I thought so… my father told me about him once. How dedicated to his work he was and all that…"

"He did come from your dad's side, and was well respected throughout this city. It was unfortunate what happened to him long ago."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, a false accusation was set against him by someone anonymous. I'm sure the guy was jealous of him or something of the sort. He was declared a wizard, and was sentenced to hang."

"So he died by the rope, huh?" Hiro declared. Shuichi's face sagged in sorrow.

"No. He didn't. When they were about to perform the sentence, a mob of Takashi's followers and fans raided the town, setting him free and driving away the guards. During the tussle, a woman was about to be shot for going against the authorities, but he knocked out the men and took the young lady with him." Tatsuha smiled. "That was the girl he soon fell in love with and married."

"What's so tragic about that?" Yuki raised an eyebrow.

"Well, what occurred next is what sent Takashi to his death. A darkness, just like what's taken over the city now, arose from the depths who knew where and started attacking people. He, being the guy he was, headed into town to cease this evil force."

"Did he do it? Did he put the shadows at rest?" Maiko was becoming interested in the story.

"Yes, he did. But at a price. His own life was sacrificed to seal away the darkness that plagued their land."

The group remained quiet, waiting for whatever else the priest had to tell them.

"He was a good man down to the end. It took a LOT of energy to banish the shadows in the people's hearts. Apparently, there was so much that it required the spiritual power of a person who had enough energy to carry out the seal. It was a risk that Takashi had to take at that moment."

"… So he didn't survive."

"I'm afraid not."

The boy drooped his head. His great, great, great… well, however many greats grandfather died trying to rid their city of darkness. Would that same fate apply to himself as well? Would he die trying to save his city?

"But that's why you are here, Shuichi. To help banish darkness all over again. Just like your grandfather."

The others jerked their heads at Tatsuha and gasped.

"Are you saying… that onii-san will have to seal away those creepy guys out there?"

"Right."

Now the novelist was angry. "So he's going to die while protecting Arbaphem!" He wanted to break something. Would he lose Shuichi?

"That's the thing. I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know! You're a future telling priest aren't you!" Yuki fumed.

"For some reason, I couldn't predict the true outcome of Shuichi battle with the darkness. I've tried time and time again, but nothing comes up."

"Then what's going to happen to me?" Shuichi asked nervously.

"Well, I figured that from what your 100 x Great Grandfather said about your future, that you may have a chance to live. And because your future is undecided, it means that you may have a choice in the matter whether you live or not."

"What? A choice?"

"You have a fate, Shuichi. Your fate is to destroy the turmoil that's being caused around here. But I believe that your destiny (your second choice, in other words) let's you decide how you seal the evil and whether you succeed or not. You can choose to heal the world, or to join it. That is the difference between the two."

The teen pondered a moment on what the pastor told him, then confirmed to himself… "So. I have a set fate already… telling me that I have to be the one that can save the earth. And my destiny leaves me to decide which fate my life will I end up with later on, right?"

"Uh, yeah. You could say that." This was all pretty confusing, even for Tatsuha himself.

"It's like having two fates… but I get to choose which fate I want. And that creates destiny."

"Uh huh! I think you've got it!" The pastor nodded vigorously.

"Okay. I think I understand a little better now. I have to be the one that delivers these people from darkness. I have to seal away the shadows that stain this land and hopefully come out of it alive. I've never been that good at stuff like this… making decisions, I mean. But I think I'll take risk or two." He smiled on the last sentence, remembering how his said grandfather took chances as well.

"So you'll do it!" Tatsuha clasped his hands together and inched closer to the 19 year olds face.

"Um, yeah?" Shuichi scooted away from the ardent man.

"Great! Then let's get you ready!" He stated while pulling on Shuichi's arm toward a round platform underneath the stained glass window.

"Huh! Get ready for what!" The boy was getting freaked out now.

"For your journey! Actually, it's more like a stand still journey. It's kind of complicated." Tatsuha rubbed the back of his head.

"What are you talking about?" Maiko asked.

Suddenly, the priest's face became serious as he further explained this actions. "Shindou-san… the darkness has just begun to rule over Arbaphem. Right now, it's at its strongest because of the newly found power they have received. And because of that, you can't fight them right away… I mean, your spiritual powers haven't awakened inside you yet. There's no chance for you to defeat them now."

Tatsuha sighed. The others watched him inquisitively. "That's why… you have to be put in a time capsule that'll freeze existence only around you… until the time comes when the darkness has weakened and your spiritually ready to face it."

This all started to soak in slowly for Yuki and Shuichi.

"I'm afraid that Shuichi… you'll have to stay in the capsule until another century passes."

"No…" The boy didn't want to believe what he was hearing. He had to leave everyone behind on this? His fate required him to go this… alone? But he wasn't strong enough yet! If he were to go on a mission like this, he wanted to share it with his remaining family. Hiro… Maiko…… Yuki…

"What the hell are you saying!" The enraged older man shouted at the solemn pastor. "Is this some kind of joke!"

"No. I kidd you not."

"Then where is this big, extravagant, so-called 'time capsule' of yours?" The blonde sneered.

"Right here." Tatsuha stepped over to the large stained glass portrait and tapped on the angel's body, making it glow differently than when the sun shone on it. The shards of glass in the structure then began to shift around like puzzle pieces, and after the transmission was done it had somehow moved the cherub's wings to become outstretched instead of folded behind his back. Out of the blue, a blinding light shot straight up from the circular platform and hit a mirror that hung on the slanted ceiling. This reflected the light to directly strike a valuable looking crest above the wooden door. The angel's form was embedded in the golden crest.

"The light that bounces off the mirror and onto that plate is what keeps the time capsule active. If you were to block that light or take away the object that the light's hitting, then Shuichi would be released and enter the normal flow of time again. However, we don't want that until many years later. All I know is that something will happen to the golden crest up there that disrupts the light's path, and he will be free once again when the time comes.

Yuki was still processing all this while thinking, 'So Shuichi will stay youthful in this capsule… while I age and die! No! I have to be there for him!' "I want to go with him."

"Yuki…" Shuichi's heart fluttered at the comforting words of his lover.

"I'm afraid that it out of the question." The pastor shook his head sadly.

"What? Why the hell not!" He barked at Tatsuha.

"… the capsule can only fit one person. And that one has to be Shuichi."

"So you expect me to watch helplessly as he stays nineteen and I grow grey and wrinkly?" Though the way Yuki worded the sentence sounded bad, everyone really knew how he felt… how he wanted to live his life with the pink haired baka, and not his afterlife.

"There's no other way. If he doesn't, then the destruction of Arbaphem will be confirmed." The priest looked the man hard in the eyes. "Do you want _that_?"

On the inside, the novelist wanted to say he didn't care, but how could he when he actually did? All he wanted was to be with Shuichi for as long as possible, and this stupid conflict was getting in their way. He had never loved like this before, and planned for this setting to be his future… but it seemed that Shuichi's future came first.

"Yuki…" Shuichi stared at his lover with the eyes of a dying puppy.

"But… why?" Yuki put a palm to his head and held back the scream that wanted to be released from his mouth.

"Yuki…" The boy slowly walked up to Yuki and brushed some hair out of his face. "I… I think that we'll be okay."

"Okay? Okay! Do you think I'm just forget about you!" He growled a little rougher than he expected.

"Well… fate and destiny have been getting in the way of things lately, haven't they?" He laughed a bit. "And because these two futures keep popping up in different places, I think one of our fates… is that we'll meet again someday."

This stopped Yuki in his fury, giving Shuichi room to continue.

"It's our fate that we have a destiny, and it's our destiny that we have a fate. I feel that it'll be our fate to see each other again, and our destiny that this fate will occur." A slightly confused graced the blonde's face, though Shuichi couldn't blame him. It would take a while to get used to this pattern, he knew. He just hoped that everything went according to what he wished.

"Guys!" Hiro grabbed everyone's attention toward the window. "They're here!" He warned.

"Oh no!" Maiko squeaks.

"Shuichi! There isn't much time! Please stand on the platform and say your last goodbyes before I activate the capsule." Tatsuha scurried all around the room, making sure that everything was ready for their encounter with the baddies.

Shuichi's eyes squinted at the tears stinging his vision. He wanted to break down and sob his heart out, but knew that he had a duty to perform. He faced his little sister Maiko, the last time he'd see her as she was now. He didn't quite understand it, but the boy just knew that she'd be there waiting for him in the future.

"Maiko-chan… I know you're going to be scared at times while I'm gone, but I want you to know that my essence will be inside you, building courage. But for me to do that, I need you to believe that you're brave. Understand?"

His younger sibling forced her trembling lips into a small smile, tears spilling out her eyes.

"Good. I know you will be okay. You are strong, Maiko… no matter what you tell yourself otherwise."

"Onee-kun!" She flew into her brother's arms and squeezed his torso for what seemed like forever. Once Shuichi patted the young girl's back, she let go and wiped the droplets of water staining her cheeks.

"Shu…" Hiro dismally turned to him and let his whole body slump. He knew this day would come, so why was he so depressed about it? Shuichi had been his friend after such a long time… he didn't want to say goodbye yet.

"Hiro… I hope we meet in the future too. I just know it." The boy acted as cheerful as he could at their departure.

"Tch… yeah. I hope this time thing works. I don't want you losing a single hair of pink on this trip, you got that?"

"Same goes for you!" He punched his arm playfully and smiled. Hiro pulled his arm and brought his best friend closer to him for a farewell hug.

"Don't hurt yourself." He whispered sincerely into the teen's ear.

"I won't. Thank you for being there for me when I needed you most, Hiro." Shuichi tightened their embrace, basking in this priceless moment one more time before the red head had to force him away to keep from crying.

"Shuichi. It's ready. Go ahead and step up on the platform. The shadows are in the sanctuary." The priest informed.

"Okay." He did as he was instructed, the blue light bathing him in its glory. But he was barely settled into an upright position before he was tugged down into the arms of another and felt a pressure against his mouth. Shuichi knew, that by Yuki kissing him like this, the blonde understood that he had to let go. It relieved the boy…

"…You better save the world in one piece, you brat." He mumbled into his partner's shoulder after they finished their last kiss.

"Don't worry, Yuki. I'll be okay. I promise. I hope I see you soon." Shuichi said comfortingly, though he knew that Yuki wasn't the only one who needed to be solaced. He was on the verge of tears himself. The author knew this, and only stroked the boy's hair, pulling him into his chest with greater force. They stayed like that for who knew how long, until a loud crash echoed from downstairs.

"They've gotten in… Shuichi." Tatsuha beckoned him to follow suit. After a few more seconds of bliss in his companion's arms, the pink haired man stepped away from the blonde and got back onto the platform. The priest positioned himself near the beam of light, put his hands together in the sign of Buddha, and began chanting a sort of sutras. A few lines into the "spell", a cold draft was crawling up against Shuichi's legs. When he looked down to see what it was, the boy was shocked to find some kind of diamond crystallization composing around the whole platform. At first he thought it was a defect, until Hiro reassured him that that was supposed to happen. And not too long had that been explained, another unusual incident occurred. The pink haired teen started to float! It was a strange, light feeling… almost like when you are falling fast from a very high place. Tatsuha continued to recite his chants faster, the noise downstairs was becoming louder by the second. Shuichi held out his small hand and intertwined it with his lovers, eyes shimmering with tears. Yuki's were watering too, but he didn't let them fall. The man tightened his hold on the hand, never wanting to let go.

"Uesugi-san…" Hiro peered anxiously at the wooden door leading out. A clattering could be coming from the wall that separated them from the sanctuary.

At the last words of his sutras, he nodded knowingly. "Hah!" The pastor jolted his arms out, letting a glowing blue aura be soaked from his hands to the time structure.

The crystallization was covering up Shuichi's chest at that time, which forced the two companions to let each other's hand go. The 19 year old folded his arms across his torso, and prepared for the capsule to work its magic. Yuki couldn't hold it back anymore… the tears streaked his face.

"I love you." He said desperately.

Shuichi gave him one more smile, brighter than any star the blonde had seen. And as the diamonds inched up to his neck, Yuki heard one last phrase from the boy's lips…

"Wait for me." And as the last bit of activity had been done by Tatsuha to the icy structure, Shuichi felt a cold and weary sleep rest on his eyelids, leading him into a deep meditation until the time came when he would execute his role of being The Salvation.

"Come on, you guys. We might as well go see what the ruckus is down there. People who have no respect for the church after all, will never receive deliverance from their sins." The priest smirked almost evilly and snatched up a staff he had lying in the corner of the room.

"We're going to fight them!" Maiko didn't like the idea one bit.

"It's the only way we'll be able to survive the next few days. You two, come with me. I'll bring us to _our _destinies." He opened the door and sped down the spiral path without another word.

"Wait! We have a weird future too! Uesugi-san!" Maiko followed after him.

Yuki rushed out the door as well (afraid that the priest might accidentally poke someone's eye out with that big stick). He paused at the frame of the exit, and glanced over his shoulder at the "sleeping" form of Shuichi in the crystallized structure, and uttered one last sentence to his frozen lover.

"See ya later, brat. I'll come back for you… I swear." And with that, the author left to aid his new comrades in driving off the darkness downstairs.

At that moment, a stray tear slid down the cold cheek of Shuichi, a tear of happiness and sorrow that told the unaware Yuki…

_It's a promise… _

A/N: No, so sad! ;; I hope you all liked that chapter, I sure did. In the next one, it'll be 100 years later! AH, OLD MAN YUKI! Just kidding! Yuki WON'T be and old man, that's for sure. That'll take a weight off yall's shoulders --; Anyway, thanks for the reviews! I appreciate each and every one of them! Keep reviewing and that way I'll be inspired to write more! Be looking forward to what'll happen next!

**DEAR REVIEWERS **

**DeMoN4EvA- Thanks for putting me on your favourite list already, though you only read one chapter in the beginning nn I appreciated that! And don't worry, I won't let you down and leave my story hanging!**

**Hiei's Gothic Angel- Thanks for saying that I have talent, that cheered me up big time nn Yeah, there may be a few cliffhangers, but because I update pretty quickly, you won't be left in suspense for long. So don't worry, everything will turn out okay!**

**DatenshiBlue39- So Yuki and Tatsuha are your little boys, huh? You wanna take that up with me, huh? - - glares Tee hee! JK! See you in band later on, kay?**

**Bloody Dead Rose- In the story, it said that Hiro was told by Shu's parents what his best friend's future would be, and somewhere along there, Mrs. Shindou told him what would happen to her as well. I didn't mention that, but that's what happened. I did that because I knew that Hiro wouldn't have time to grieve over Shu's mom. He had to get the party to safety nn Thanks for asking though. Hoped I cleared that up for you! Thanks for your reviews! **


	11. 100 Years Later

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated recently! This first week of school was LONG! It felt like a Wednesday on Tuesday, a Thursday on Wednesday, and a Friday on Thursday! But that was probably just because we had a football game on Thursday instead of Friday (the normal day), and everything seemed all mixed up. But am I ever glad that it's the weekend… well, it's practically over now, but at least I'm writing now, right? Oh, and one more thing before I continue on with the story… though it's nice that people are given the free will of stating their opinion in reviews, let's keep our flames to a minimum. It's one thing to critic a piece, but it's a whole different thing to totally trash talk it. I didn't even understand the last review I got. It's not very clear to me right now. Anyway, on with chapter eleven!

"Sir. We have captured the delinquents that had dared to try and overthrow your throne." A mysterious cloaked figure bowed on one knee to the dark image mounted on the black marble chair.

"The ones from last night?" An ominous voice radiated from the unseen shadow.

"Yes. They were only mere half demons. Our squad ambushed and beat them until they cooperated."

"Good, good. Did you put them in the dungeon?"

"Yes. What do you propose we do with them?" The henchman stood gracefully and smirked underneath their mask.

The man perched on his throne thought for a moment, then asked, "Tell me… who are these people that tried to interfere in my business?"

"I'm sure I don't know sir, but if your majesty wishes, then I'd be glad to find out for him."

"Hmmm… yes. Do that. I like to know the names of these foolish rebels that turn against me. At least they'll be remembered by _someone_ when they die." He grinned maniacally.

"Very good, your majesty." The lackey chuckled at his highness's positively evil mind.

"Thank you, that will be all. Bring me the information as soon as possible."

"But what it they don't talk?"

"Well… if they don't, then "persuade" them to." The dark figure snickered with glee. He absolutely loved using his "toys" as a way to get what he wanted.

"No problem, your majesty." And in a flash, the cloaked henchman had faded into the shadows, leaving the evil king to have his jolly moment of particularly ruthless thoughts.

"So… the half breeds are beginning to complain about how I rule the land, huh? Think they can do better? Hn… what ignorant boobs (A/N: The definition of "boobs" as in "idiot" or "fool". _Not_ as a female part of the body, kay?) . They're nothing but parasites to this world. The strong shall be the ones to govern over the weak. Strength will always prevail over weakness. That's how the world was built. And darkness only fuels this growing strength. That's why… I must cover this land in darkness and make sure that every last idiotic soul who opposes me shall pay the price at my hand." The king gazed out his jagged window into the barren wasteland that he reduced it to. "Maybe I should add a few more rules to the book. Enforce a few things here and there. Yes, that would do nicely." The dark lord laughed to himself and admired the way the town formerly known as Arbaphem was set up. Now it had a new name… Umbra. The City of Darkness.

"This way!" A short blonde man ran over behind an alley wall and peered around the corner to make sure no one saw him.

"Tohma! Wait up!" An equally short, yet brunette, man scurried over to where his companion was, his dirty pink stuffed rabbit trailing behind him on it's own two feet. Once the coast was clear again, the blonde lead the two tag-along's to the other side of the street and got behind another wall. The same procedure was repeated over and over again until they were near the castle gates to the demon lord's domain.

"Tohmaaa! Could you… slow down a bit? Me and Kumagorou-chan are… tired!" The child-like man behind him whined. "Isn't that right, Kuma?"

The bunny nodded his head in agreement and hopped up onto his owner's shoulder to rest.

"Hey! I'm tired too, na no da! I can't carry you like this!" The brunette slumped over.

His plushie's eyes shimmered with pleading tears, almost like he was saying, 'Come on! My poor little velveteen feet can't take it anymore! Do you want all my stuffing to come out?'

In the end, Kumagorou won with the same signature bunny eyes that his master always gave to people.

"Aww… alright. You can stay up there." He sighed in defeat while his stuffed rabbit raised his hands in the air with glee.

"Ryuichi. Keep it down a bit." Tohma informed as he saw two more guards being added to the other enforcements keeping watch at the rusted black gate. "Mmm… it's looks like we can't get in now. It looks as if they've tightened security around the castle grounds." Tohma's fist constricted in fury. Now how would they get it!

Ryuichi saw the platinum blonde's anger, and frowned putting a hand on his back. "Let's come back later, when we've thought of a better plan. I promise we'll get him back." The brunette attempted to pull him back from the wall, but found that the man's feet were planted to that spot.

"Dammitt! Dammitt all!" Tohma cursed under a harsh whisper. "Why? Why did they take him away from me? Out of all the people, why was it him!"

"Calm down Tohma."

"He was the only one I had left… the only one… and those bastards snatched him from right under my nose. Why didn't I stop him? Why wasn't I strong enough to fend them off? How could I let him go!" The man slammed his hand into the crumbling brick wall and shuddered out a sob.

"…Tohma… it wasn't your fault. Me and Kumagorou were there. We helped fight too, but… we were all too weak against them. They had more men, and we only had us. It was an unfair match, Tohma. Don't blame this on yourself."

"But… he was right there! I could have grabbed him and took off. But my arms couldn't reach. Why?"

"The boy should have known what would happen if he acted like that. It was partly his own fault for getting involved in such a movement."

"It's NOT his fault. It's all this damn systems fault. All those guards… that bastard of a king. He's no king… he's a coward who hides in darkness, afraid of what the world _really_ has to offer him." The platinum blonde gritted his teeth, but loosened up as he felt reassuring arms being wrapped softly around his front.

"It's okay Tohma-chan. Everything will turn out alright. You shouldn't always expect the worst. He may still be alive. He's a tough kid. Hn, you know that better than anyone else."

Tohma part laughed at Ryuichi's comment.

The brunette helped his friend stand on two feet and held his hands comfortingly as he spoke. "Don't loose hope. That's what got to some of the people in this town. That's now why they have become like demons, their hearts have lost all reason to have faith and truly live. We'll find a way to get him out of there."

The younger man smiled at him. "Thank you Ryuichi. Without you, I don't think I could go on in this world. You're the only friend I have now."

"Hey no problem buddy! Me and Kumagorou will be here no matter what happens! And besides, we don't want to see our friends Tohma-chan turn into a flesh-eating demon!" He whimpered and pulled his bunny onto his head. "That would be scaryyy!"

"Yeah, me neither." The blonde shrugged and headed back home with Ryuichi, feeling a little bit better after their talk.

"Let's see… "Juniper berries"… "J"…" A very worn out librarian searched for the "J" section in the confinement of books that were surrounding him. The castle held one of the most largest libraries in the city of Umbra. "J j j j j j j j j j… Ah! Here it is! Juniper…" The red head placed the book snuggle into the tight fitting shelf, demounted the rolling ladder, and plopped down into his desk chair to relax. "Phew! I put away about 576 books today. That's a new record for me!" He sighed with satisfaction and flung his feet onto the desk, letting his mind wander.

He recalled the old days, when everything was (somewhat) peaceful and he was spending time with his family and friends. His old library was so quaint and resourceful. While the one he worked at now was too boisterous and dark. Of course, when you are in the service of the dark lord, everything is dark, right? He had gotten himself captured that. When he had to leave his best friend behind in that cold, empty tower. Maiko had barely escaped while the red head held off the shadow demons. But no later had they caught him that they presented him to the new king of Arbaphem. By the looks of it, he could tell that he wouldn't like what was coming to him. Though surprisingly, the librarian didn't receive the punishment he thought would befall him. The dark lord appointed him as the historian of the castle, keeping records on all the new things that go on in town, and writing the history of these dark days. The king seemed to like him, so he granted the red head eternal youth, keeping him young forever. It was both a good and bad thing. A bad thing because the man didn't know if he'd want to live through such times like these his whole life. But it was a blessing because… that way he'd be able to see The Salvation bring them back into the light. At least that's what he hoped…

His thoughts about his genki little friend were interrupted by a loud clicking of the library's double doors opening. A large, shadow concealed figure loomed into the room, the hood of the cloak pulled up securely over the unknown face.

"Librarian! His majesty wants you to write a new article in your history books."

"Yes sir. What does his highness wish for it to say?" Another day, another article.

"It shall be about the new rebellions springing up by half breed filth. A band of roughians recently attacked the castle grounds a few days ago."

"I'll get right on it." This was a sign of hope to the historian. People were finally coming out of their corners and starting to fight back. He knew that they wouldn't be able to take it any longer sooner or later. And as he pondered over this subject, the henchman at the door disappeared like he'd never been there in the first place. "Sigh… if only I could do that. Then I'd be able to get out of this accursed place." The red head thought solemnly as he began jotting down his new article of history.

"Let me out of here! I said let me go, you rascals!" A fuming young lad shouted throughout the dungeon. "I have never been treated with such utter disrespect! How dare you do this to me!" Of course, it'd been quite a few years that'd he'd been treated with this crudeness, but the boy convinced himself that he was still the Duke of Arbaphem, formally known as Fujisaki Suguru. As the aqua haired teen kept banging on the bars of his cell, the comrades that were seated behind him were becoming aggravated at their group leaders constant noise making.

"Cut it out, Suguru! They won't let us go if you keep screaming like that."

"Yeah, I mean, these guys are black-hearted! You don't exactly get special treatment from them."

"What do ya expect? The top floor suite?"

"Grrr! You guys aren't helping at all!" He ignored their comments and kept ramming his fist on the think steal poles that separated him from the dungeon halls. "They should at least give us some decent food and drink! Do you expect me to eat this… this slop!" Suguru pointed to the mound of green and brown sludge that had been plopped onto a plated for he and his friends.

"Umm… well, I think THAT guy expects you to." One of the men shakily gestured to the cloaked form that had suddenly appeared at their dungeon cell.

"Good morning, my pets. I hope you've found out hospitality very acceptable." The figure sneered.

"You call this service! Of course I didn't expect much from such dirty creatures as yourselves." Suguru insulted.

"And didn't expect you all to be so stubborn in our attempts to capture you. It amazed me that you all managed to lay one scratch upon a guard of mine." The silhouette chuckled.

"We were just outnumbered, that's all! If we had more people to help us then it would have been no problem!" The duke bragged. His comrades rolled their eyes.

Oh, is that so? Well then, maybe you can demonstrate for me? Oh, but wait! Everyone else out there is a bloody coward! They wouldn't help someone like you! How could I forget?" The henchman laughed out loud.

"How dare you mock me!" Suguru was MAD now. "You're nothing but a pompous, arrogant, flesh-eating little devil!" The boy yelled into the figure's face. His friends scooted back, afraid of what the demon had to offer of that comment.

"Hm…" The cloaked form chuckled. "That may be true, but… don't you recognize me, my old friend?"

"I have NEVER associated with demons!" The young lad scoffed at the petty assumption.

"Why, I'm hurt… how could you forget such a beautiful face such as mine?" The voice that emitted from the dark mask now became more feminine, which confused the other's greatly. Was this guy in puberty?

"It's me, Suguru." The henchman slid off the mask, revealing a very attractive woman with lilac hair and ruby red eyes.

"No… it… it can't be… No-Nori-" The teenager stuttered at the person he saw standing before him.

"It's been a while… my dear Fujisaki Suguru." She smirked, eyes glowing with fire.

"N-Noriko…"

A/N: Oh my! So they finally meet after 100 years… what stuff will they have to catch up on? Maybe the next chapter will tell! I don't know. Ch. 12 may be all about Shuichi. So keep reading! I will not be able to update as much now since school has begun. Sorry! But I will type as much as I can in one night and try to get up the next chapter as soon as I have time! After school band practice is EXTREMELY time consuming… anyway, thanks for your support, and please keep reviewing!

**DEAR REVIEWERS**

**Bloody Dead Rose- Yes, many of you keep asking how Yuki will keep himself from becoming an old man… by using aging cream of course! JK! Since that stuff wasn't invented yet, some kind of powerful spell thingy will be the "salvation" to Yuki's young figure. That's all I'm gonna say. Otherwise I'd be giving away a lot of the plot for him. **

**Mitsubishi Eclipse- Thanks for saying my plot was funky! That's a different way to put it smiles.**

**-Cookie- l Tohma 911 l- Um, I don't know whether to say "thanks", or "what?". Did you like it, or did you not? You're making it very confusing right now. I don't particularly like flames, and I'm sure other's agree with me, so is that what you were trying to write? Was this a flame, or what? And why are you bringing DatenshiBlue39 into this, huh! Anyway, I respect your opinion either way, and hope you keep reading my story. I'm glad you have an open mind and express what you think, but please don't make it so confusing next time. My brain hurts after a while… **

**Xunxin Kohaku- No, please don't cry! I'll update soon, I promise! School is just a big obstacle right now! And my sister keeps using the computer, so it's hard to get time on this thing! But I won't give up! **


	12. Underneath It All

A/N: Woo hoo! I'm eating "Reverse" pocky right now, and it… is… HEAVEN! I can't get enough of this new stuff! If you haven't tried this delectable little snack, please do! It's like pocky, but the reverse! With the cookie on the outside, and the icing on the inside. I'm having chocolate, and it's yummy! Oh! And they're selling pocky at Wal-Mart now… aahhh, I'm so excited! Now I won't have to go to an anime store or Suncoast to get it! All in all, I just love pocky… strawberry is my favourite of course! - Oh… and I have a question… can I tell my age on here? I mean, is there a way for someone to track me by putting up my age in public? I don't want no stalkers on me tail I've seen others do it, but would it be safer if I didn't? Maybe yall can guess my age, and I'll tell you which guess is correct by saying the person's pen name that nailed it! Well, give me yall's opinion on this matter first… ;

In the streets of Umbra

"Come on, hurry up you lazy bum!" One of the demon shadows called to his companion who was slowly trailing behind. "We don't have all day, now do we?"

"Hey! I just thought I saw something over there, alright? You don't have to bite my head off!" The other snapped.

"The king can't wait on us forever! He told us to make sure that there weren't any rebel parties forming in the city."

"Parties?"

"Yeah, like secret meetings plotting against him and stuff. Haven't you heard the news lately?"

"Um, well… I…"

"Sigh… you never listen, do you?" The first demon rolled his eyes and kept walking through the town's deserted roads. They had searched every building and every ruin for conspirators in hiding. The guards had already found two groups concealed in one part of the woods, and in an abandoned alley way. More were springing up, so the investigation of these rebel meetings doubled in the last few weeks.

The two had scavenged through every nook and cranny, about to head back to castle grounds, but the second demon stopped and noticed a place they hadn't looking in before.

"Hey! What about that church right there? We haven't checked that yet, have we?"

"That place would be too obvious for a group meeting to hide. I'M not even that stupid."

"Yes, but you aren't a human either."

"Hmm… true. Alright, one quick sweep of the place and then we're out of here. I'm getting hungry." He complained. The entrance to the building was piled up with rubble and wood, but that wasn't a problem for the shadow creatures who slithered easily through the cracks of the mess. Once inside, they formed back into their original state, and began scouting the area. Everything was dusty, cracked, jagged, and the air was agonizingly heavy, though it didn't bother the two demons. The only light present in the sanctuary was coming from a small hole in the roof where some of the outside light was able to creep through. Many of the pews were either rotting or broken in halves from fallen rubble, and it surprised them how intact the place was compared to the other broken down buildings. But through the disarray, the church alter still stood firmly at the head of the room. The second shadow creature was curious as to why it was still mounted in its place and decided to investigate. The structure wasn't attached to the floor in any way, it was moveable, and for some odd reason, the chunks of ceiling had missed hitting this one spot. Then, a golden object caught the demon's eye.

"Alright. It doesn't look like we'll find anyone here. Let's go." The first henchman called to the other. After a moment of no response, he repeated himself. "Did you hear me? Let's go! What are you doing over there!"

"Hey, do you think we could fetch a hefty price for this cross here? The gold hasn't rusted, just a bit of cleaning up and it might be worth something!" He drooled with excitement.

"That old thing? Oh please! The king wouldn't be interested in something like that!"

"Wow… there's jewels in it too! I think I'll take it with us just in case." He grabbed the golden cross my the stem and tugged at it, but it wouldn't budge. "Huh? What the…?" He tried again, with more force this time. "Is this thing glued or something?" No matter how hard he pulled, the treasure was planted to its spot. "Bloody hell! Come on!" He put a foot up on the alter and with all his might, tried again.

"Will you forget that stupid piece of junk! I'm getting hungry! And if I don't get food soon, YOU'LL be the one I'm eating!" The shadow demon stomped his foot restlessly.

"Argh! Move, dammit!" The struggling henchman got angry at the object and kicked it with his heel, causing the cross to fall straight back onto the alter. "Ha! Take that!" He was about to snatch the gold delicacy until a rumble under his feet halted him in his tracks. "Huh! W-what's going on!"

"What did you DO you idiot!" The first one yelled.

"I didn't do anything! I just knocked the damn thing over!" He pleaded innocent.

"What's that!" The other demon pointed past his companion.

"What?" He turned around and noticed a crevice parting in the wall parallel to the alter. Once it was completely open, the two shadow creatures didn't know what reaction would fit best in a situation like this. To be shocked and in awe, or…

"Heh heh heh… looks like we found ourselves a secret passage way." The first demon said maliciously.

"Do you think the group meetings would be up those stairs?" The second asked quizzically.

"Most likely. Let's go see, shall we?" He smirked and headed up to spiral stair case. If there really was a secret conspiracy up there, the king would handsomely reward them for sure! A door came into view once they reached the top, and almost ravenously, the demon slammed open the wooden entrance, and…

"N-Noriko…" Suguru stared in awe at the pair of lavender eyes before him. "H-how… why are you…"

"Speechless? Well, I have lost some weight over time… and gained MUCH power. I guessed you noticed?" She smirked. "I hope you liked my disguise. When I found out it was you starting that horrid rebellious group outside the castle grounds, my heart just did a flip flop! Fujisaki Suguru… my dear old friend from the olden days. You still look as young as ever. How DO you stay so young looking?"

"I can't believe… that you're doing this Noriko… why! I should have known you gypsies couldn't be trusted. Is this for money?"

"Quite the contrary Fujisaki-kun. I'm doing this for my own reasons"

"Which would be?"

"If you want to blame anyone… blame the masochist pigs that ruled this land. The former king, the property owners, the lords and ladies, the duchesses and dukes… like you."

"What are you saying?"

"It's you. ALL of you upper class snobs did this! The blackness in your hearts turned Arbaphem into what it is now! I joined the dark lord because he told me that the world's corrupt society would change, and that cruel, heartless people like YOU would vanish from reality!" She was almost close to breaking out into rage, the men behind Suguru backing away in fear.

"…Noriko…"

"You do not know… how happy I was when I heard that you got captured. The first thought that came to my mind was how much pleasure I'd get out of torturing you endlessly for an eternity."

"Noriko… not all-"

"I don't know how you got eternal youth, buy I'm glad you did, my friend. That way I can kill you over and over again until I'm satisfied that you've been punished enough." Her eyes burned.

"Not all people are that cruel, Noriko! You're taking this situation way too seriously!"

"I AM serious, Suguru."

"Listen, I'm sorry if I've ever hurt you before, but times have changed now! No one is more important or special than anybody else!" The boy couldn't believe what was coming out of his own mouth… but it was true.

"Ha! Oh yes there are! The shadows hold the power now! And we're going to treat everyone the same way they treated us!"

"Don't you see, Noriko! The darkness isn't in other people's hearts now! It's in yours! It's making you do all of this! I know you very well! The stubborn gypsy I know wouldn't succumb to such a level!"

"I am NOT being CONTROLLED by the darkness! I am controlling IT!"

"Then why are you doing something like this? You're acting the same way the people long ago acted! Cruel and heartless!" The teen was frantic to bring the old Noriko back. He didn't like this new one. She was so… cold.

"Hey! What's going on down here?" A male voice echoed throughout the prison halls. "What's all the noise?"

"Eek! Not another one!" One of Suguru's friends yelped.

"Noriko… why are you yelling?" The cloaked figure questioned.

"This… brat! Can I torture him NOW! I want to hear him scream at my mercy!" She readied a whip that was hidden behind her cape.

"Noriko. Calm down." The man turned to examine the specimens in the cell. "So this boy is the one that you knew centuries ago?"

"Yes. His name is Fujisaki Suguru. He's my mortal enemy."

"What! Noriko…"

"Silence!" The shadow being shouted. "Have you come down here just to yell at him?"

"No… not really." The woman lowered her head.

"Then do what you were told by the his highness. I don't want to report you." Though it was faint, Suguru could see a flash of the cloaked demon's glasses under the draping hood.

"Yes sir." She mumbled gruffly.

"Good." He nodded and headed off in the opposite direction.

"W-who was that guy?" One of the boys asked.

"No one you brats need to concern yourselves with. Now shut-up." She glowered at them.

"Noriko…"

"You too Fujisaki. Now, answer every one of my questions and nobody will have to suffer." She cracked the whip in her hands threateningly, causing the men behind Suguru to flinch and cower to the corner. "Give me each of your names. First and last."

"B-but, why?" The dirty blonde-headed kid asked trembling.

"Just do what I say!" She flared.

"Okay! S-sojiri Akanami!" He panicked.

"Kay, next." 'Damn! I should have beaten them when I had the chance… Guess I'll have my fun with these twerps later.'

Tohma gazed out at the still glistening old lake that had lived through the century. It had become a special place to him. It was a setting where he could collect his thoughts and be safe from intruders. For some reason, the shadows didn't come around these parts… like something was keeping them away from Angel Wing Lake. It was a good thing. He needed a place to retaliate.

"Hi Tohma!" His 35 year old friend bounded up to the petite blonde, his pink stuffed bunny sitting on the man's shoulder. "Are you watching the shiny water?"

"Yes. It's very beautiful." He smiled.

"See Kumagorou? This water is the shiniest thing in the world! Besides our friends."

The rabbit (with the same sewed on face as always) hops down from his owner's shoulder, and stares into the shimmering liquid. He decided to touch it, but ended up with an arm soaked with water.

"Silly Kuma-chan! Your paw is like a sponge! You can't get in the water!" Ryuichi picked up his teary eyed friend and rung out the rabbit's wet paw. "There! All better?" The stuffed animal nodded lightly and hugged his loving master. "AWWW! Kuma-chan, I love you too!" He swung his pet around in his arms, giggling all the while. Tohma just laughed.

"Amazing how life-like Kumagorou becomes each day. Maybe he'll start talking soon."

"REALLY! Wouldn't that be great Kuma-chan! We could talk about shiny stuff and donuts and lepricans and pecans and…" The bunny was just as excited as he was.

"Um, Ryuichi…"

"Yeah?"

"Uhhh… never mind…" He didn't want to crush the boy's spirit. "Anyway… the power that was given to Kumagorou… and you… are truly amazing. I haven't exactly thought about it but… how DID we get these gifts?"

The older man stopped his bounciness for a moment, smiled, and sat down next to the platinum blonde man. "The people of Arbaphem long ago… all got different sentences set upon them once the darkness consumed the city. Everyone was judged on how pure, or black, their hearts were. If pure, then they were transformed into something spectacular. If their hearts were not pure… then they were turned into something dark and foreboding."

"But… there were so many good people in the town. How could every one of them have turned into… shadow-like creatures?"

"Then there was a hidden darkness deep inside their heart. Though they don't show it, people always have an empty hole in their soul filled with a secret hatred. Could have been for some thing… or someone."

"But… I don't understand how EVERYONE… could…"

"No one completely understands it yet Tohma. The only thing we can do is help the remaining people left in Arbaphem, and hopefully… someday everything will…" He didn't finish. Even during all the chaos, it was a tough subject for even Ryuichi to talk about.

"You're right. We have to use our gifts to the best of our abilities. Even if we are only two people." Tohma nodded. They couldn't just leave the left over residents hanging.

"That's the spirit Tohma-chan! And don't worry. If you need anyone to make you feel better, just ask me or Kumagorou here! Right Kuma?" The plushie punched an arm into the air, making a sign of approval. "Yeah! Kumagorou Punch!" The brunette copied his stuffed animal and added in a "V" sign for "victory". The blonde grinned silently. What would he do without the two goofballs?

"It's empty!" The first demon shouted.

"And I thought we actually had a lead there…" The other sighed, a bit annoyed.

"It's just a dusty old tower room!" The shadow creature stomped around the small area and desperately searched for any clue of people being here before. Everything was left the exact same as it had been however many years ago, and no fingerprints were discovered. There wasn't a human smell lingering in the air either, which proved how deserted this place was.

"Ugh! Well, this was a bloody waste of time!" He kicked at a pile of rubble near the front of the room, causing a few rocks to tumble down onto the cobble stone floor.

"Hey! What's that!" His companion asked, and pointed to an eerie blue light emitting from underneath the pile of debris.

"What the…" The other kicked at the rocks again, this time, causing the entire pile to fall apart. This time, a whole blanket of blue light washed over the room, almost blinding the two demons.

"W-what's happening!"

"How should I know! All I did was touch it!" Once the light had dimmed, both companions hesitantly squinted through the glimmering shine coming from a tall glass-like structure.

"What is it?"

"I can't tell. Some kind of…"

"Valuable object?" His voice rose with hope.

"No you idiot. It seems that this was built with magic… probably by the priest that used to preach here."

"Maybe we could chisel a chunk of it off and sell it!"

"Will you stop with the treasure thing! Be serious for once, will you?" He rolled his eyes.

"It's a bit dusty. I'll clean it up a bit." The second demon walked over to the glowing sculpture, and began wiping it off with his sleeve.

"Sigh… you really are hopeless… I don't know why the king paired me up with someone like YOU, but I guess I have no choice…"

"AAAAGH!" The greedy shadow creature screamed and fell back onto his rear, scooting back up against the wall.

"What! What is it!"

He stuttered. "Th-th-there's… a p-p-person in th-there!" He pointed shakily at the structure.

"A person? HA! You must be crazier than I thought! There's no one inside a thing like thi-" The demon paused as he peered into the clear ice that had been cleaned by the second henchman. "What the…"

And through the diamond surface of the capsule, could be seen the ever young, pink-haired baka… Shuichi Shindou.

A/N: Bleh… I have a head cold. My nose is stuffy and my throat is hazy and I got a headache! I've been sneezing all day, which only makes my congestion worse, but at least my body feels okay. It's just my head part that's receiving all the damage. I hope it goes away soon! It started when I was in the football game for our school in band. I felt a scratchy part in my throat and thought it was just a dry spot from not drinking enough water, but it got worse and then I knew… I was catching something… My nose is SO RUNNY right now, I just want to get a vacuum cleaner and suck out all that gunk in there so I can BREATH! Thank goodness for the person who invented tissues… I'm getting better, but I thought I'd tell yall this because this is part of the reason why I haven't been updating lately. I really am trying! But I've already done two projects for the first two weeks so far, and it's not too fun right now… Anyway, I'll put up the next chapter soon hopefully. YOUR REVIEW WILL HELP ME FEEL BETTER! Please no flames right now! I don't need those during a cold…


	13. Awakening of the Senses

A/N: Yes, this is the moment you have all been waiting for! The part where Shuichi comes in! Woo hoo! I'm hungry… but I'll tend to my stomach later! For now, let's get started on chapter number 13 of Salvation in the Darkness! WOOT! And by the way… my head cold cleared up last week! I feel so GOOD right now! Thanks for yall's reviews!

"Sooo… how did you know that woman, Suguru?" The young man huddled in the back of the cell asked timidly. She had already left to report their information to the dark lord, and the aqua-haired teen was holding onto the bars silently, a lamenting aura hanging over his head. The boys didn't push any further, and decided to let their friend think through the recent events himself.

Suguru stared down at his feet, his mind befuddled with thoughts and questions without an answer. How did Noriko get here? Why was she here? What was the story behind her staying so young like them? And… why was she working for… him? This wasn't like the old mischievous gypsy that flaunted her acts around the streets the boy used to know. What had changed her so? Out of all the people in Arbaphem, he thought that… at least she would be able to make it.

'Grr… why am I thinking about her… and why did I think about her then? She can go on and ruin herself for all I care. Scandalous street performer…' The teen rubbed his nose and sniffed in an attempt to hide the water glazing over his eyes. 'Why?… Noriko?…'

-----------------------------------

"AHHHH! It's a alien!" The one paranoid demon scooted farter back into the wall, pointing at the glowing face of the boy inside the capsule.

"ReLAX idiot. It's just a human." His companion informed him and tapped on the glass. "I'm pretty sure it isn't alive. And this structure… it's strong. I don't think anything could break out of this."

"A-are you sure?"

"Sigh… do you think I'm an idiot? I know a good seal when I see it! A monk must have done this or something."

"But why?" He slowly stood up.

"Maybe this kid was dangerous or something. Pfft… I doubt it though. I've never seen a scrawnier boy in all my life! I guess the geezer just got tired of taking care of him. I don't know his life story." He shrugged and headed back toward the door. "C'mon. We're leaving. There's nothing here."

"Huh? But… what about that thing?"

"Will you forget about the kid! He's of no concern to us. Let him rot for all we care!"

"Not the kid! THAT thing." The henchman pointed at the golden crest above the doorway, littered with at least five different kinds of gems.

"What is that?" The first demon asked, raising his brow in wonderment.

"I'll tell ya. It's treasure is what it is. And I'm going to snatch it!" He nodded to himself and grabbed a chair from the desk nearby.

"Imbecile. It's nothing but a rusty piece of metal. We need to go NOW." He warned him.

"Hang on a second! It won't take long!" He snarled back. He came here for gold, and by god he was going to GET some!

"Sigh… why… why was I paired up with YOU?" The shadow creature on the ground shook his head in his hands, asking that to himself for probably about the thousandth time that day.

"Come to papa, my precious." He reached up for the crest and took hold of it's hand held size. "Got it!" He pulled on it, but the trinket didn't budge. "Ugh! Not AGAIN! First that stupid cross, and now this! What's wrong with wanting to have a little gold once and a while!" He complained and yanked on the treasure harder.

"It's probably so old that it's stuck to the wall. Now will you hurry up? I'm HUNGRY!"

"Almost got it!" He finally was able to make it move, and in another second, the crest was jerked off by the greedy demon's hand. "Yes! Finally!"

"I'll say. Now let's go!"

"Alright alright! Don't get your tights in a wad!" He shouted back and climbed off the chair.

"Shut up!"

"Why you telling me to shut up? You aren't the boss of me!"

"Oh, yes I am!"

"And why is that!"

"Because I'm a hell of a lot smarter than YOU, that's for sure!"

"So just because you're older than me, you think you're his highness's favourite!"

"What! When did I say that!"

"You were thinking it!"

"No I wasn't!"

The two henchman bickered at each other back and forth for quite some time, while the same blue light suddenly disappeared from around the icy container in the middle of the room. The crystalline structure began fogging up, and the wings on the cherub stained-glass window were folding into the tiny body after 100 years of being open.

"Yeah, that's right! I saw you kissing him at the party a few weeks ago! Don't think I'll keep quiet about it after all you've said about me!"

"Ha! You have no proof of that!"

"Oh yeah? HERE!" The second demon flicked out a picture of the scandalous act.

"WHAT! How'd you get that!"

CRACK

The two shadow demons halted in their continuous insults and peeked over at the capsule to see a large crack had formed on it's surface. More and more small lacerations streaked their way down the body of crystal, threatening to break any second.

"Uh… I thought you said it was a STRONG seal." The dumber of the two creatures twitched.

"I… thought it was…" The first demon answered back.

The ice covered capsule shattered into a million different pieces, a mysterious blue fog flooding out of the large container.

"AHHHHH!" They both screeched into the moist air, and fumbled their way out of the room and down the spiral stairs.

"See! I told you there was a monster in there!"

"You didn't say that!"

"Did so!"

"Whatever! Let's just get out of here!"

Their arguing proceeded down the steps, out of the old church, and through the streets.

In the tower, once the steam cleared, a small, frail form was laying on the plush red carpet, his faded pink hair lapping gently over his eyes and onto the ground. Everything was still in the room, not a breeze blew, nor did dust float. It was like the mere presence of this freed stranger was silencing the very aura of the area. Broken shards of glass like material was scattered all over the cobble stone, but somehow none of it had touched or was near the unconscious boy's body. Even the glass was acknowledging his arrival into the new century.

A finger twitched on Shuichi's left hand, and soon the boy's eyes were starting to squint at the sudden feeling he was getting back in his veins. The capsule had been numbing his whole body in order to preserve him for the later years to come. And after a few moments, a drowsy lid drew back the curtains of lashes that shielded his eyes, and the first violet orb had slowly opened.

"Mm?" His voice cracked as he tried to speak. It had been so long since the boy had last used his vocal chords.

His vision was blurry at first. He hadn't been able to use his eyes at all either. Shuichi saw was a furry red thing very close up to his face. Was it blood! No… it wasn't wet. It must've been a carpet. After a minute of adjusting to his practically newborn eyes, Shuichi attempted to sit up, but only succeeded in limply falling back down again. It had been so long since he had moved… what if he couldn't ever get up again! Would he have to crawl around for the rest of his life, like an insignificant worm! At least his overactive imagination was still intact. He was lucky that his brain didn't melt along with his bones. He felt like a young foal, taking it's first steps into the big bright world. Wait… did he die and be reincarnated into a horse! Phew, no… he checked and saw that he still had human hands. Then… why was he laying here on the floor like this, in a place unfamiliar to him?

Shuichi was able to at least sit up on his hands and butt, shakily holding himself from crumpling back down. A sudden trickle ran down the boy's throat, and he couched to get it out. Man… how long had it been since he'd used his voice? It didn't make sense! What had happened!

He shook his head to rid the dizziness away, and glanced around. The area resembled an old study room, or a very small library. Everything looked so dusty though. Maybe that's why his throat was acting up. After examining a part of the room, he turned his head and noticed a beautiful stained-glass structure, gleaming from the daylight outside. An angel was on it, it's wings folded in.

What was so familiar about that?

Shrugging the sudden nostalgic feeling off him, Shuichi finally came to realize the pool of shattered glass surrounding him, and the broken capsule in the center of the room.

"Wh-what…" He had to clear the drainage again. What was that thing? And how did all this glass break? What had broken out of it? Did he do this? Or… was the thing that used to be inside… him?

All these questions swam through his head while he picked up a shard of the crystal covering laying beside him, and observed it. He saw his own reflection in it.

"Where… am I?"

--------------------------------

"Hm?" The dark lord stiffened in his chair. His grip tightened on the throne's arm rests as he shifted his eyes toward the window ahead of him. "What… was that?"

"Did you speak, my lord?" A tall cloaked being asked standing beside his highness.

"… I felt something. A disturbance in our city's balance."

"A disturbance?" The creature questioned.

"Something has happened somewhere, and I don't like the feel of it." His eyes narrowed.

"Would you like me to do something about it, sire?" The cloaked figure inquired.

"… Take some of your men, general. Find me what's causing this ominous aura."

"Yes, your highness." The general bowed, and teleported away from the scene.

The dark lord got up from his sear, walked steadily over to the window sill and gazed out at the city's black depths.

"This presence… I've never felt anything like it." He whispered to himself. Then cracked a grin. "Maybe… it'll keep me entertained for the time being. I was becoming bored anyhow…" The black-haired king chuckled ruthlessly, and watched below as he saw dark objects slithering along the roads toward where the disturbance was coming from. He knew he could always count on the general for these things. Being one of the best handlers of human trinkets and weapons in Umbra, neither human nor demon could stand a chance.

-----------------------------

"Hm?" Ryuichi stopped in his tracks and looked behind him suddenly. His eyes widened. What was that aura just now? It felt so… powerful, and yet… it didn't seem threatening at all.

"Ryuichi, what's wrong?" Tohma called to him silently from ahead.

"……" Without saying a word, the brunette changed his course of direction and headed toward the new presence.

"Ah… Ryuichi! Where are you going!" The short blonde reached out his hand. "Sigh… what's gotten into him now!" He rubbed his head and ran after the older man and his pink bunny. Wherever he was going, Tohma knew it would lead to trouble later on.

"Maybe I should put a leash on that man's neck while he's sleeping. I can hardly ever keep up with him!" Tohma whined to himself and followed Ryuichi around a corner.

A/N: Yay! I finally got this chapter done! I hadn't worked on it for like two weeks, and I thought to myself… "hm… those readers might want to know what happens next… I think I'll write the rest of chapter 13." So here it is! Hope yall liked it! And if you know who the cloaked person that was talking to the dark lord is… DON'T SAY THE NAME IN YOUR REVIEWS! It ruins it for the people who haven't figured it out yet! And I'm sure you would probably feel the same way if someone revealed what happens at the end of Harry Potter book 6. And I won't say it because some of the slow readers who like to savour the story might not know yet. DON'T REVEAL THAT SECRET EITHER! I don't read Harry Potter, but I DO know what happens at the end of the 6th book. Anyway, point is, don't say anything about who the masked general is! Not until I say who it is in my chapters, kay? Then you can all brag about how you 'knew it all along' and stuff. Well, see ya next chapter!


	14. Listening to Your Aura

A/N: Wow… I knew that I wasn't going to update for a while, but I think it's be a little TOO long. I'm sure you would all agree… Anyway, I've suddenly got the passion for writing at this moment, so before I lose that spark I think I'll get started. So here's chapter 14 (I remind you in case you forgot because I haven't updated in so long that there's cobwebs on this story --) of Salvation in the Darkness. Enjoy!

The steps spiralled downward into a twisting black darkness, the grey dust making it hazy for Shuichi's eyes. For a moment he almost tipped forward from being so dizzy, but regained his balance and took a step out of the wooden door frame. It took the boy quite a while to stand up on his own, but managed soon enough.

As Shuichi sank lower into the shadowy corridor, his gut wrenched and became hot. A bad feeling welled up all the way to his throat and face, making it hard for him to control his breathing. For some reason, Shuichi felt an ominous energy that he didn't particularly like, so he tried his best to keep his breathing and tip toeing to a minimum level. It was like when you heard something in your house but you don't know where it came from, and then you almost KNOW that someone's there. But in the end, it was just the shifting of furniture from staying in one place for so long that the gravity had altered it under the rotation of the earth. It was all very difficult to explain, let alone understand, but this wasn't the first time he had felt this. But… since when did he even _remember_ feeling like this? What had happened here? And why was he here? His mind was too dim of memory to recall the recent events… they were recent, right? Great… another question to add. How LONG had he been here? Maybe, once he reached the exit, some answers would be found.

Shuichi finally found the door way out… the hard way. His head ran straight into it, leaving a slight bruise unnoticed in the darkness of the staircase. After swiping away the bothersome multicoloured asterisk-looking things in front of his face, the pink-haired teen sceptically took hold of the rusty, brass doorknob and creaked the door open…

He gasped.

Everything… was in ruins. Not like the upstairs room he came from, that place was only dusty. This area was totally destroyed.

"It seems like it would have been such a pretty place too. I wonder what happened?" Shuichi drew deeper into the abandoned sanctuary and glanced around at the old broken stained-glass windows mounted ethereally at the right and left walls, almost touching the ceiling. The stone walls were grey and musty with years of age, and the floor was almost white with dust. Through the scarce light trickling from the broken windows he could see the slowly floating dirty particles, like a school of fish in a murky pond. The place seemed so tranquil that the threatening aura had disappeared long ago, and was replaced with a friendly nostalgic feeling, bringing Shuichi back into the dreaming state he was in while inside the capsule.

"Huh?" Then he realized… he WAS in that thing, wasn't he? It was coming back, but none too quickly. Somehow he had gotten into that crystal chamber, but wasn't sure how _exactly_. Maybe he was sleep walking…?

CRASH

BAM

Shuichi jumped and almost let out a scream at the interruption of sounds coming from outside the building.

"Wha… what was that?" He said quietly to himself and hesitantly crept over toward the large double doors of the entrance (or exit, in his case). The young boy attempted to open the doors, but to no avail. They wouldn't even budge an inch. Something must have been blocking it. Probably some rubble since this place seemed to have been through something rough anyway. So instead, Shuichi stood and listened to the ruckus coming from the other side.

"Maybe I'll yell for help and they'll hear me and save me." But before he did that, the boy had to be sure that it was a GOOD person. It would not go too well if he found that the people who were supposed to save him were the ones who caused all this mess! So he lay in wait, praying that he'd get out of this and find out what was going on.

………………………………...

"P-please, don't hurt me!" A grungy-looking man cowered in fear at the shadowy beasts before him. Three black-cloaked figures loomed dangerously over him, their forms blowing softly in the wind. The tallest of the demonic beings stood in the middle, his gloved hand reaching out steadily for the victim's throat and grabbing it sharply. As he raised the man into the air without effort, the person on the other end of his arm squirmed about uncomfortably and squeaked through breaths…

"Please… I… nrgh… didn't do… a-anything!"

"Vermin like you simply _living_ is enough of a crime to me. Now answer our questions and we'll let you off soundly." His gruff voice sent a shiver down the man's spine that for a good while he couldn't even gather up the courage to speak.

Unfortunately, that good while was a little too long for the taller demon, so he decided to throw the trembling puppet-like being into some wooden crates near the side of the road.

CRASH

The man could hardly stand up after that action and almost fell on top of the demon figure once he casually walked over toward him. The shadowy form didn't even show mercy to him by giving him support to stand and just whacked the side of the man's head, causing him to fly harshly into the pavement.

BAM

As he stalked over to his victim a third time, one of the other demons figures moved his head to look over at the old church, glaring curiously at the rubble as if he heard something.

"Now… will you answer us? Or will I have to rip out your vocal chord and get a reply from them?" He said carelessly with his long fingers poised delicately over the injured man's neck, ready to fulfil his threat at any moment.

"O… okay… ask m-me an…anything…" He managed to crack out.

"Good. Now listen carefully, because I'm only asking this once." He leaned down close to the man's ear, and whispered in an evil-seduced voice. "Where did that aura come from?"

"….Wha-what?"

"You're not human, so you must have felt something with your filthy animal instincts. And since you were near here you must have noticed… that powerful surge of energy emitting from around this area. Where did you sense it exactly?" He made his question more clear.

"An… an energy? I don't know- hugh!" The demon had tightened his vice grip on the man's throat.

"Don't make me use the heavy artillery." He smirked and showed the man something under his cloak (AN: not what you think it is… -.-;)

Suddenly, the victim's breathing changed rapidly into one of not just fear, but horror. He now had a pretty good idea of who this monstrous being was judging by what he just showed him. Panicked, he blurted out…

"Yes! I did feel an energy! That's why I came here because I wanted to see what it was."

"Ahh. That's what I thought." He chuckled. "So, where did it come from?"

While this whole mess was going on, one of the other cloaked men made his way over to the pile of rocks and debris at the entrance to the church, and stared at it. Something wasn't right over here… there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind saying that there was a presence here. But where? Inside? How could anyone (besides their own kind) get inside there? And the presence didn't seem like one of their owns. It was more… small, and scared, and innocent. It may have been another weakling like the one his comrade was dealing with. But, the aura that lightly came from behind the wreckage… it didn't feel like the one of a coward like that man. It had another layer of energy coming from it that was pure, yet… powerful. It almost frightened the demon of how mysterious this chi was. Maybe the energy was from a magic induced artifact, or an old spell cast on the place long ago. Whatever it was, it had actually caught the demon's interest for once.

"Well? Answer me, vermin." The shadowy figure still grasping onto the helpless pedestrian's neck was becoming impatient.

"I… I… I don't know! All I know is that it is in this area!" He was shaking terribly by now.

"Ugh! You're no help! Such useless things your kind is." The demon raised his fist and was about to smack the man with it and then kill him, but was stopped in his tracks by a sudden energy force that had attacked his senses. Letting the man go, he leaped back to where his comrades were and landed smoothly, looking up to see who the intruder was.

"Hm. I should have known. Only you could emit so much energy in one blast… Sakuma-san." He smirked out of spite.

The brunette smirked out of triumph. "I see you haven't ceased in your bullying of the townspeople here. I thought I told you not to do that anymore. Man, do you ever need a mother… or a babysitter…"

"Enough. What business do you have with us? We are only collecting information." He asked seriously. Seeing as how the tone changed in the demon's voice, it concludes that Sakuma Ryuichi was one to be taken seriously. And indeed, he was respected throughout the community (or what was left of it), including some of the high ranking demons. But not respected enough to treat him in a way that showed any signs of hospitality or welcome. They _respected_ him… not _liked_ him.

"I simply ask that you leave that poor man alone and go about your business accordingly. Without disturbing the people in this city." His eyes narrowed considerably.

"Oh, but how can I do that when there's answers to be sought out? And I know that at least one of these weaklings have the solution to my problem." He gestured toward the pathetic ball of shaking flesh on the ground.

"Well, if you need to know anything, ask me. Don't torture him. But it depends on the question whether I'll answer or not."

Long ago, about a century to be exact, Ryuichi had been transformed into a great and powerful winged being from the surge of strange magic that swept throughout the city. When the demon lord came into power, he messed with Sakuma once and never dealt with him again. Their powers were equally matched, and therefore it would have been a circle of endless, pointless battles. So nether associated with each other, neither fought with each other, and neither crossed each other's paths. As long as their "territory" wasn't toyed with by the other, then everything would be fine. But now that the king sent his lackeys out to cause some chaos for the innocent people in this city of ruins, Ryuichi had gotten pretty pissed with the whole thing. So, he intervened like he said he would if anything like this occurred.

"Ah. Very well then. I will ask you." The cloaked figure closed his eyes and nodded his head once in acknowledgment. "Where did that aura, that I'm sure you sensed not to long ago, come from just now? It would be helpful if you knew the exact place because we're kind of in a hurry. Highnesses orders." He stated blankly.

Ryuichi fell silent. He stared at the taller being with disinterest in his eyes, but was actually deep in thought.

"Sorry. Can't give that information to you." He apologized curtly.

"And why not? I thought you said you could answer my question."

"I said I would answer you question depending on what it was about?"

"Oh? Then this little bit of information must be very vital to you, huh?"

"……"

"You know what that wave of energy was, don't you." He asked all-knowingly.

"…… And if I did? What would you do about it?"

The demon figure smirked from under his draping hood and whipped out something large and silver.

Ryuichi's eye flinched.

The trembling man on the ground gasped in fright.

………………………………...

Shuichi listened… ever so carefully… what happened to all the muffled voices? Where was the suspense he had felt earlier? Not that it completely left him though.

'It's all quiet again. What's going on out there?' He thought to himself. Pressing his ear up against the door, he waited to see if anyone was still there. Judging by the sound of their voices earlier, they weren't on good terms with each other. Maybe they were enemies, or bitter rivals. He wouldn't know until he got out of here… but because of what was going on outside, he wasn't sure if he wanted to leave from the safety of the sanctuary yet…

While he listened for the next possible sound to irrupt, Shuichi felt a vibe shake throughout his body. It was telling him something… something important. But what? He tried to get a decent view of outside through the cracks and crevices in the rubble, but it wasn't enough. When he pressed his small hand up against the door, a familiar energy quaked his senses, and caused the boy to shiver in anticipation. What the heck was on the other side of this blockade that made him so… anxious?

And then…

BOOM

………………………………...

The second tallest of the cloaked figures was still trying to comprehend the strong chi that was fluttering out of the old building; like a butterfly through a storm. It seemed to break through all the rocks and boulders in its way and wrap around the demon with curiosity, as if it was getting to know him. He touched one of the jutting pieces of gravel gently and experienced a feeling he'd never felt before since 100 years ago… youth. Though he was granted eternal youth from the explosion of energy that one fateful day, it still felt as if he were old on the inside. But, for some reason, this church was bringing back some old, buried memories that he didn't even knew he had. Man… it really had been a long time since the demon lord took over…

BOOM

The demon jumped away quicker than the blink of an eye, as was all demon's talent: speed. He then glanced over at the maniacally laughing comrade of his and sighed hopelessly. He had pulled out a rocket launcher. He would never change in his love for weapons, that was for sure. And how bothersome, it was countered by Ryuichi's deflecting field and bounced back into the rubble pile that was blocking the sanctuary entrance. (It was meant to be pointed at the weak man as a threat to Ryuichi).

"Great job, Sherlock. You've just accomplished making this city even MORE rundown." He stated sarcastically and rolled his eyes as he picked himself up to brush off the dirt.

"Damn it! His force field is stronger than I thought. I would have rid myself of that pathetic creature if it weren't for-"

Everyone stopped in their gaudy rambling when they heard a cough echoing from the wreckage of the church's entrance.

"Ugh! Too much- hack- smoke! How the hell… cough… did _that_ happen!" Shuichi stepped out into the half-lidded light blinked numerous times to get the ache out of his eyes. "Well, at least I finally got out of that place… huh?" The pink-haired foreigner looked up and caught eyes with the rest of the people standing there, gawking at him silently.

"Ummm…" He began, smiling sheepishly and rubbing the back of his head. "Is this a bad time?"

A/N: Woo hoo! I finally finished another chapter! See? I told ya I wouldn't give up on this story! After all, it is my first fan fic on computer. All the others are on paper. I should type them on here just for fun, ne? I could write some drabbles or one-shots I guess. I'm not too fond of them, but I'll try anything once! Anyway, I'll add on a chapter to my Halloween story and "Looks Can Kill" fic soon. And THEN I'll put up another chapter of this one, kay? I alternate between stories. But since these chapters are longer than my other story's chapters, I did this one first because I knew that if I didn't soon I wouldn't want to later on. So it's a good thing my inspiration came along when it did. And part of the credit goes to AP English III because it's such a wonderful class and my teacher is awesome! She's one of the coolest teachers I've ever had. And what we've been reading in there has inspired me to write more! Aren't yall happy? You better be!

Anyway, I'll see yall in the next chapter, kay? Chou for now!

**DEAR REVIEWERS**

**Aacire- Hope I answered your questions in this chapter! There are many dark-hooded men… but which one is Yuki! And is he even one of those guys! GASP! You'll have to read to find out. Then everything will make perfect sense! **

**rebelyell59- That's what I do too! I read all the stuff and then review. Course, that's only if the whole story is done. But if a fic isn't finished and I wanna read more of it, then I review, then add it to my story alert list! I love that convenience about l Tohma 911l- Dude, I think it's official. You REALLY need to look on the positive side of fan fictions. I've seen plenty of your reviews on other stories, and most of them were really negative. At first you review in a way that it sounds harmless and reassuring, then you all of a sudden put in words like "this is bs" or "I really don't like this", when in the beginning you're all like, "this is actually a pretty good story" and stuff. And then in the end you totally blow off my story like all the stuff you said earlier didn't even matter. You need to get your priorities straight when writing a review. I think your kinda indecisive on what to say, which really gets people confused, ya know? Oh, and fan fictions are supposed to have plot twists and character twists. If we all followed the same personalities of each character from the manga ALL THE TIME, then that would be boring. Have you read the headline at the top left corner of "Unleash your imagination and free your soul". You're not exactly giving people any room to do that on here. They put different genres on here like angst and AU for a reason, ya know? And what's the point of your negative reviews if all I'm gonna do is keep writing the way I was in the first place? Anyway, just thought I'd let you know some of that stuff. Please, by all means, keep reading. And I don't mean that sarcastically. Don't take any of this too offensively or anything. I'm actually starting to enjoy arguing back with your reviews. It gets me a little hyped up at the end of writing a long chapter. Don't ask me why. Maybe I'm a masochist… kinda creepy sounding… (twitches)… JK.**

**Bloody Dead Rose- I hope I answered more of your questions. And don't worry! They'll all be answered in good time, I promise! Just not so early on in the story.**

**Rebelyell59- Awww, thank you! I have DEFINETLY gotten over my cold by now (since I haven't updated in forever), so thanks for your concern! You are very sweet. (hugs)**

**Xunxin Kohaku- There's more Shuichi for ya! I'm afraid you'll just have to wait on Yuki though. He won't show up until later chapters! But please keep reading!**

**Mitsubishie Eclipse R. S. i'm getting pissed at you- Oooo… very original pen name. Me likey! It's funny too. I'll update soon (hopefully)**

**Yuri Yuki- Um, "Yuri" as in "lesbian"?…… at least that's one term for what it means, right? Ha ha… that's funny. Yuki… a lesbian. Total gay gender mix up! Anyway, sorry. That was just me and my crazy self. I have written more for you! And look forward to MUCH more!**

**DatenshiBlue39- HARRY POTTER THE MOVIE 4 IS COMING OUT SOON! Ain't you excited? Me too! It looks like it has a lot more action in it. And I like that! **


	15. To Save or Steal Shuichi

A/N: Okay! I think I'm starting to bounce back after all the school trouble I've been having. Therefore, I am motivated to make the next chapter to each of my stories! Woo hoo! I hope you are all happy as well. So far, my fic "Looks Can Kill" seems to be getting the most reviews, which is good because I like it too. I believe all of my stories are in good progress… except for "Trick or… Treat?". I don't know if I'm gonna finish that one. Who knows? Okay! On with "Salvation in the Darkness"!

**By the way**, here are some references when addressing the three demons in different ways:

First demon- (he's the guy with the ammunition and weapons)

Second demon- "the more panicky demon"

Third demon- "the bored demon" or "more quiet demon"

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"Um… hi?" Shuichi hesitantly waved at the crowd of people (or that's what he _thought_ they were) and half-grinned sheepishly. After a few moments without a reply, the boy lowered his gesture, and his face faltered once he saw the few ugly looks he was getting. Great. What'd he do now?

There were three black, cloaked figures, a guy who basically looked normal except for the large, white wings expanding out from his back, and two human-looking dudes; one standing behind the winged-creature, and another whimpering in fright on the ground. All in all, the whole scene seemed a little intense, and Shuichi felt as if he just ruined it.

"Oh my god, not another one!" The trembling human man on the ground shouted to no one in particular.

"What the-! How did this kid get here!" One of the demons yelled in an irritated tone.

"He was in the church? How is that possible!" The second panicky demon shouted.

"…." Ryuichi stared at the stranger and squinted his eyes in a wondering manner.

"Ryuichi, do you know him?" Tohma asked , noticing the confused look on his companion's face.

"I… no." The brunette replied sceptically.

The last demon stood silent and looked on intently at the display.

Shuichi peered around at the odd group and argued in his head on what to do next. Well, introduction was always the proper thing, but the big scary demon men didn't look like they wanted to know his name.

'Oh well. No harm in trying, right?' The boy mentally shrugged. "Um, hi!" He said a little more confidently this time. "I'm, uh-" But before he had the chance to say his name, the biggest of the demon men sprung at him and thrust his knife at him. "Yeep!" Shuichi dodged just in time. 'I guess it _will_ hurt by trying!' In that moment of thought, the shady guy had disappeared and reappeared right behind the boy in lightning fast speed. 'Huh! How the heck did he-' The fact that Shuichi was able to realize that the attacking figure sneaked up behind him was surprising everyone watching (including the demon), causing the assailant to hesitate in his steps, which gave Shuichi the opportunity to dodge once more.

The large cloaked figure retracted out of his fighting position and seemed to glare/stare at the newcomer strangely (as did everyone else). This made the pink-haired man uncomfortable and finally blurt out, "What! Do I have something on my face!" The attacker raised his eyebrows in mild astonishment at the sudden outburst. "And why are you attacking me? I didn't do anything! What has happened to this world? Why am I here? Where's all the _normal_ people? Is this some kind of fancy play? If it is, then I wanna know, and now!" He screamed that last bit, breathing heavily after his rant.

The group, eyes still glued onto him, blinked twice in wonder. Who was this kid? He was very bold to yell at a demon general like that.

'This boy…' Ryuichi pondered to himself. 'He came out of the hold church. The one that they said would rise again when the chosen one came. He couldn't possibly be…… but he's just a kid!'

"Excuse me." The more panicky demon said from beneath his cloak. The phrase was directed at Shuichi.

"Hm? Me?" The boy pointed to himself.

"Yes. Who are you? And why were you inside that chapel?"

Well, at least this one wasn't attacking him, so he might as well give him a response. "I… I want my questions answered first." He said stubbornly.

"How dare you speak to one of higher status than you!" The large cloaked being came stalking towards him.

"Huh? Wha-! I was just asking-!" Shuichi waved his hands in the air and freaked. Great. He knew that this time he would die for sure.

"Wait!" The other commanded. "We will answer his questions first, if that's what he wants."

"What! But he just intruded on a very important matter! Besides, he's just human filth. What's the harm in killing him?"

"A LOT!" Shuichi shouted angrily.

"Weren't we fighting a few minutes ago?" The quieter demon inquired, his arms folded in a bored manner.

"Please, be patient!" The second one said to him. "K-san." He motioned for the taller figure to come over. He did so.

"What? I was just about to slice his cute little head off."

"Your anger is getting in the way of your senses. Can't you see the aura that emits from that boy's body?" He nodded toward Shuichi.

The demon, formally known as K-san now, peered the boy's way and squinted. Indeed, he could see some sort of power flowing from his body in an almost frightening manner.

"You are right. I do see it."

"Good. Now do you see the pattern it makes while flowing out?" The second one inquired.

"…….. yeah. His aura is forming into the shape of… angel's wings."

Ryuichi overheard this an narrowed his eyes. 'I knew it. They can see it too. This boy… he _must_ be him.'

The quieter cloaked figure didn't let the strangeness of the lad get past him either, for he stared at the pink-haired man in an odd fashion.

"Huh? What are all of you guys talking about? Is it about me? Please, even though you may not exactly know me yet, I would very much like to know what's going on here." Shuichi asked in the most polite way he could.

Instead of answering, the first and second demon kept whispering to each other about the phenomenon at hand.

"Well, how are we supposed to know if it's really… you know… _that _guy?" K-san asked.

"There are two ways we can find out. One, his name (if he'll give it to us, though he's so stubborn I'm not too sure); two, we must see a demonstration of his powers (though he looks as though he doesn't have a clue to what's going on).

"Which one should we try out first?"

"Isn't it obvious? We'll get his name!"

"Aw, but I liked the second idea…"

"You'd most likely kill him before we even would get a chance to see what kind of power he had… either that, or he'd kill us."

"Hm. You've got a point." And with that, the two figures turned around and glared at the boy not but a few meters away from them.

"Uh, w-what are you guys looking at?" He asked nervously.

The second demon responded by commanding, "Tell us your name, boy."

"Yeah, otherwise this pitiful human is going straight to hell!" The war general pointed his bazooka at the human lying on the ground, still trembling.

Shuichi paused, sweat rolling down his temple. He had no other choice but to tell them, unless he wanted to be responsible for the death of another.

"My name is… Shuichi Shindou." He stated defiantly.

The whites of everyone's eyes seemed to become more visible as they widened considerably, especially the certain pair of eyes of two particular people.

The boy raised an eyebrow questioningly and said mostly to himself. "Did I say something wrong?"

The winged Ryuichi furrowed his brow in realization. "So… this is him. He's the one that will save us…"

The three demons kept staring at Shuichi, all curiously frightened by him.

The panicky demon's face hardened a bit. "So, I was right. It is him."

"Yeah. No doubt about it. That's the name that our lord told us this guy would be hidden under."

The third figure stayed silent, but awe-stricken nonetheless.

Tohma's realization finally dawned upon him after witnessing everyone's reactions. "Hm. Ryuichi seems to have known what was going on since the beginning. I guess I was too caught up with everything else to notice that this boy is him… at long last…" He felt almost teary-eyed.

Shuichi was too confused to say anything else, except exchange glances at every one of the creatures before him.

Suddenly, he heard the clashing of metal, and looked over to his right a little to find that the winged man and the largest of the cloaked demons with the gun were fighting head on! It was surprising to him, because it felt as if he had been forgotten about all of a sudden. What the heck just happened?

"Ha! So you knew too, huh?" K-san glared cynically at his opponent Ryuichi.

"As did you. You will NOT take him from us!" He shouted threateningly.

"And neither will you!" K-san shot back with the same intensity, a large blast of light forming between the two, blowing one another apart.

In the meanwhile, the second demon walked calmly towards the boy, set on taking him back to their lord's castle.

Shuichi couldn't help but feel a bit scared from the ominous feeling he was receiving from that guy, and had the urge to run… so… he did.

The pink-haired man turned on his heel and high-tailed it out of there, not even looking back to see what was going on. They were all a bunch of lunatics! That's what they were!

The usually panicky demon smirked invisibly under his hood, and sprinted off after him with inhumane speed. It would be all too easy to catch up.

Shuichi was running out of breath fast from the fear that was clutching his heart. He could feel one of the strange men breathing down the back of his neck, just ready to pounce on him. Why was he so important anyway! He never gathered this much attention back in the old days, so why now!

In a flash, the second demon had appeared in front of him and held up a hand to create a force field that Shuichi immediately rammed into. Rubbing his forehead and nose a bit, the boy groaned in pain. It was like colliding directly into a brick wall! What was that thing? Before he could think another second, the cloaked figure was now looming over him and slowly reached down to grab the him. Shuichi backed away as best he could, but knew he wouldn't be able to get out of this one!

But that was before he realized how light he felt all of a sudden. Opening his eyes, Shuichi looked down to noticed that he was about 100 meters in the air!

"What! When did I learn how to fly!" This was almost enough to make him faint. That's when he felt two strong hands holding him up by his armpits. Looking up, he saw that same light blonde-headed man earlier beside the winged creature… and this time, he had wings too!

"Hang on tight! I'll get you out of here into a safer place." He glanced down at Shuichi and gave a reassuring smile of determination. It looked like these guys were on the good side.

Tohma looked behind him to see that the same demon was following him, effortlessly slicing through the air like a spear in flight. "Damn!" He curse lightly, and sped up his wing's pace. At a rate like this, he would eventually get tired from carrying the extra weight. And with that idiot demon on his tail, where would he hide the boy! He peered below to see that Ryuichi was still holding off General K, so he couldn't get any back up.

'Great! How could the situation get any worse?' He thought miserably.

At that exact moment, the third and usually non-interactive demon sprung up from out of nowhere and was blocking Tohma's flight pattern ahead! The winged creature gasped and glared at the cloaked figure in front. There was no way out of this one.

They had him trapped!

Shuichi saw this predicament as well, and physically embraced himself for whatever impact was about to come.

This wasn't going to be a pretty picture.

A/N: Wow, haven't updated on this story in a while… oh well. I did now! It's not exactly the longest chapter in this fic, but hey! I had to get something out, right? I've waited long enough as it is. Hope I didn't confuse anybody with the whole demon trios' names thing… if there are any questions about who's who, just ask!


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